Patrick picks Reville to lead state Board of Education
In the latest in a string of shakeups, Governor Deval Patrick yesterday ousted the current chairman of the state Board of Education and replaced him with Paul Reville, an architect of the state's education reform plan in the 1990s.
Reville, 58, a well-known education policy researcher, succeeds Christopher R. Anderson, a Romney appointee who said his dismissal was politically motivated and was not a reflection of his performance or any differences in educational philosophy.
"At the end of the day, it's all politics," said Anderson, president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council. "This has nothing to do with substantive differences on education."
But Glenn Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, drew a sharp distinction between the two.
"There's more to public education than giving certain businesses what they want for the next few years," he said. "Reville takes a longer view."
Patrick's move follows last week's change in leadership of the state Board of Higher Education and this week's restructuring of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority board, which gave the governor majority control on the panel.
The appointment of Reville, which takes effect Aug. 28, comes at a pivotal time, with David Driscoll about to depart as commissioner of the state Department of Education and schools scrambling to meet higher expectations for test results under federal law.
Anderson will remain on the board, filling a vacancy created by Henry Thomas's resignation from the nine-member panel. Governors can appoint the chairman of the board but cannot oust other members before their terms end.
Reville said he didn't know Anderson's views particularly well, but said he believed they agreed broadly on education policy.
"I don't see this as a repudiation of Chris or what he stands for, or as politics per se," he said.
Reville said that he believed his appointment as chairman was a result of working closely with Patrick's education team during the past few months and that he did not anticipate a tense relationship between him and Anderson.
"I think it's a nonissue," he said.
Anderson said many of the board's priorities, such as expanding pilot schools, were part of Patrick's sweeping "cradle to career" education proposals unveiled in June.
"We've achieved quite a bit, and I'd expect, with my continuing role, that effort doesn't diminish at all," he said. "A lot of what we've worked on is reflected in the governor's plan."
Reville, a member of the Board of Education from 1991 to 1996, is president of the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy in Cambridge and directs the education policy and management program at Harvard's Graduate School of Education.
An advocate for setting rigorous standards and holding failing schools accountable, Reville had already been serving on a task force advising Patrick on K-12 education.
Patrick described Reville as "a leader with a broad perspective on local, national, and international education issues and solutions."
Reville said the state must embark on the next stage of education reform by helping narrow gaps in achievement between rich and poor students and different racial and ethnic groups.
"The assessment and standards, those are just the instruments of measuring progress," he said. "Now we need to build schools' capacity to improve student performance."
Reville said finding a strong replacement for Driscoll would be one of his immediate priorities.
His appointment drew praise from legislative leaders, policy makers, and educators.
Heidi Guarino, a Driscoll spokesman, called Reville "one of the leaders of standards-based education reform" in the country.
"He's very well respected in higher education circles," she said.
Koocher called Reville a "bold but brilliant" choice who is held in high standing by educators.
"He has played advocate and devil's advocate in a rational, intelligent way, and our system cries out for someone who is reasonable and rational rather than punitive and regulatory," Koocher said.
Anne Wass, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, said Reville was seen as "someone who will listen to all sides."
"I think he will certainly entertain our contention that MCAS should be one of multiple measures for assessment," she said. "As time goes on, he may see it our way."
Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com 