A high-stakes appointment

GOVERNOR Deval Patrick turned to a seasoned, centrist educator this week when he tapped Paul Reville of Harvard's Graduate School of Education to chair the state's nine-member Board of Education. Reville, a leader of the education reform movement here since the early 1990s, has earned the post by elevating the state's educational ambitions through both solid research and policy analysis.

Back in June, Patrick startled education reformers when he chose Ruth Kaplan, an opponent of the MCAS test and devotee of the "whole child" philosophy of education, as his first appointment to the board. Backers of the high-stakes MCAS suddenly had flashbacks to the days of low standards and social promotions. But Patrick has restored confidence in his education agenda by appointing Reville, who is known in education circles for backing a rigorous system of academic standards, assessments, and accountability.

There will be no easing into this job. Reville's appointment coincides with the recent launch of a dozen subcommittees charged with creating a 10-year strategic plan to improve all aspects of the public education system, including equitable funding formulas for the public schools. Reville's first board meeting on Tuesday also will be the last for retiring state education commissioner David Driscoll, who has provided steady leadership for eight years, including the implementation of the MCAS graduation requirement.

Reville could easily be absorbed into the time-consuming search for a new education commissioner. But there are more pressing concerns as the school year begins, especially reducing the drop-out rate and closing the achievement gap between white and minority students. Both are areas of special interest for the new board chairman. Luckily, Reville will have good support. Acting Commissioner Jeffrey Nellhaus is more than up to the task of running the Education Department while the board searches for a new commissioner and crafts policies to improve failing schools.

Though a stickler for standards and accountability, Reville is not likely to provoke needless fights with teacher unions. He knows the value of the big tent, which is one reason he would like to see the board expanded by several new seats. Though an ardent supporter of the MCAS exam, Reville also believes that better assessment tests are still to come. And while he welcomes the federal government's emphasis on academic rigor through the No Child Left Behind law, he's not one to sit silently when the feds dictate unwise methods for school improvement or establish unreasonable consequences for schools that don't meet adequate yearly progress.

At the state level, at least, the school year is getting off to a promising start.