Patrick unveils signature education initiatives

By James Vaznis, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick stood today with the US secretary of education and unveiled two signature education initiatives taking aim at failing schools and the achievement gap.

Governor Deval Patrick

One proposal would nearly double the number of charter school seats in districts with the lowest standardized tests scores. The other seeks legislative approval for a state takeover of about 30 of the worst performing schools in Massachusetts.

"We have been talking about achievement gaps for years while children wait," Patrick said at the announcement at the Museum of Science in Boston. "We can wait no more."

US Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the crowd of state and local officials that the initiatives could make Massachusetts a national model for how to turn around failing schools and boost student achievement.

"You have a chance to make history in the next few years," Duncan said.

In today's newspaper, the Globe outlined the proposal to nearly double the number of charter school seats. The move was immediately applauded by charter advocates, who trumpet the independent schools as laboratories of innovation that provide an alternative for disadvantaged children seeking refuge from failing schools. But leaders of many of the state’s education groups said the proposal would be economically devastating for school districts.

Earlier this month, the Globe reported the Patrick administration's plan to take over about 30 of the state's worst schools. The move took superintendents, school committees, and teachers by surprise because the state has long been hesitant to usurp local control, a tradition that dates back to Colonial times.