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An Ohio education official with a national reputation for inspiring change beat out two other finalists for the top education post in Massachusetts, becoming the first out-of-stater to hold the job since 1986.
Mitchell Dan Chester, senior associate state superintendent in Ohio, impressed the Massachusetts Board of Education by declaring in an earlier public interview, "I'm not interested in coming to Massachusetts to manage the status quo."
The nine board members voted unanimously yesterday to name Chester the Commonwealth's 23d commissioner of education after a two-hour meeting to discuss the qualifications of each finalist.
Chester, 55, will be responsible for carrying out the next phase of education reform in Massachusetts, setting an agenda that is likely to focus on improving failing schools and closing a wide achievement gap between low-income and wealthy students across the state.
"While each of the three finalists possesses the qualities necessary to address these challenges, I believe one in particular has the leadership, professional experience, and management skills to succeed," board member Chris Anderson, president of the Massachu setts High Technology Council, said before recommending Chester.
Massachusetts routinely scores at the head of a list of states on national tests, but it also has one of the worst achievement gaps between poor and rich students in reading and math, said Chester, citing a recent national study. More than a third of public high school graduates attending Massachusetts public colleges must take remedial courses.
The state needs to address graduation requirements that are too lax to adequately prepare students for college, Chester said. He has called for extending the school year in underperforming, high-poverty schools and attracting top-notch teachers to those schools by paying them more.
"The gaps are large, and there's no reason why we shouldn't be doing a better job in the state of educating our poor and underrepresented populations," Chester said in a phone interview yesterday. "I'm very excited to be selected, to have the confidence of the state board. I'm looking forward to serving the students and educators of Massachusetts."
Governor Deval Patrick, who met all three finalists last week, said in a statement, "I am confident that Chester offers the range of experience and quality of judgment we need to move the Commonwealth's public schools forward."
Patrick, who board members said did not reveal his preference to them, filed legislation last week to establish a Cabinet-level education secretary to oversee a new Executive Office of Education that would coordinate preschools, elementary and secondary schools, and colleges.
In previous interviews, Chester told board members that while testing and accountability over the last decade have improved schools, he felt that the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exams, the 10-year-old standardized tests on which the state judges its schools, have limits. He said he is open to considering other ways of gauging how much students have learned. In too many classrooms, he said, the focus on standardized testing has narrowed what teachers teach.
"MCAS is an important cornerstone of the reform agenda but the MCAS has its limitations, and is irrelevant to high-achieving suburbs where MCAS is not the driving force," Chester had said. "Passing the MCAS doesn't mean you're ready for college."
Chester said his strategies for closing the achievement gap include highlighting disparities at each school, finding schools that have overcome similar gaps so others can learn from them, and addressing nonacademic barriers to achievement by connecting more students with social services.
A former elementary teacher and a parent of a child with special needs, Chester said he believes the education commissioner should advocate for all students and push teachers to deliver results. His oldest son is getting his doctorate in engineering at the University of California at Berkeley, while his youngest son, a 10-year-old with limited language and socialization skills, struggles in school.
"It's the job of the educator to not put a ceiling on what's possible," said Chester, who was a finalist for the Kentucky education commissioner last year. "When it comes to youngsters with disabilities, too often the system assumes they are capable of less than they really are."
The other two finalists to replace Commissioner David Driscoll, who retired in August, were Karla Brooks Baehr, 59, superintendent of Lowell public schools, and Richard Laine, 43, education director of the Wallace Foundation in New York.
Paul Reville, chairman of the board of education, said he was disappointed by criticism of Baehr, who had been accused of mishandling a sexual abuse case while she was Wellesley superintendent in 1991. He said recent attacks against Baehr about the case and other issues were distracting but "we were able to put that matter aside" and "concentrate on the facts."
Chester is expected to assume his post in two to four months, Reville said. His salary has not been negotiated.
Tracy Jan can be reached at tjan@globe.com.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
