State ed policy and the 'whole child'
WE CONGRATULATE Governor Patrick for his appointment of Paul Reville as chairman of the Board of Education, just as we congratulated him on his appointment of former Brookline school committeewoman Ruth Kaplan to the board in June.
However, despite the governor's clear signal that he wants to change the approach of previous administrations, the Globe, in its Aug. 24 editorial "A high-stakes appointment," continues to promote that failed, narrow educational viewpoint.
Kaplan has demonstrated a commitment to educational quality and school accountability, but like many leaders in Massachusetts education, as well as growing numbers of citizens, she opposes the current regimen of one test fits all. Contrary to the Globe's use of the phrase as a pejorative, the governor himself has often expressed his belief in "whole child" education, which gives each child the chance for success in school and in life. Reville believes in many "whole child" concepts, and his research includes critiques of privatization and of punitive (as opposed to diagnostic) assessments of students and schools.
It is unclear why the Globe should drive a wedge between members of the governor's education team, who would seem to share a commitment to inclusive quality education that the prior regime lacked.
MARY ANN HARDENBERGH, Boston
MARTIN KAPLAN, Boston
The writers formerly chaired the Massachusetts Board of Education.
TO TAKE the occasion of commenting about Paul Reville's appointment to once again attack Ruth Kaplan is intriguing but puzzling. In a democracy, it's hardly odd to expect the board to have at least a few members who represent the widely held views of teachers, parents, and many local school boards. They are hardly extremists, much less the voice of anti-reformers, as you suggest.
We've witnessed an extraordinarily narrow hold by the state Board of Education for years by people representing one extreme view, that of the Pioneer Institute. Why does a single member representing the other side seems so disturbing? By labeling her an extremist, are you hoping to avoid her being joined by others whose views have been systematically excluded from the state's policy arm? A lay board so out of synch with those closest to the action cannot be healthy for the future of school reform.
DEBORAH MEIER, Hillsdale, N.Y.
The writer is on the board of the Mission Hill School, a Boston public school of which she is a former principal.
YOU CRITICIZE the "whole child" philosophy of education. Would the Globe prefer that we educate half the child?
MARILYN J. SEGAL, Marblehead 
