Points of view: Education The Boston Globe
Close Window  

Points of view: Education

The Globe asked the three Democratic candidates for governor questions about education.		 Thomas F. Reilly Christopher K. Gabrieli Deval L. Patrick
Q. Should the state extend the school day? Why or why not? Massachusetts needs to experiment with a longer school day. Additional learning time is needed to meet the challenge of ever-increasing expectations for student achievement and provide extra help to students who need it. It will also help keep our kids safe after school. We should continue to pilot longer school days in districts interested in implementing them with the cooperation of teachers. Yes. This means more time in the classroom, more time for homework help and tutoring, and more opportunities for enrichment in arts, music, drama, sports, and experiential learning. Our current schedule of 180 six-hour days was developed 100 years ago when expectations for student achievement were far lower, family structure was different, and kids had less trouble to get into and to cause when left unsupervised. Yes. Classroom teachers are consistently asked to do more in the same or less time. In fact, the school day is still markedly shorter than the work day, leaving many students unsupervised and unengaged in the afternoons. I will fund extended- day initiatives, including additional compensation to teachers and other professionals, to enable more learning time for our kids.
Q. Do you support universal preschool and/or state-funded full-day kindergarten? Why or why not? I will move Massachusetts toward making voluntary, early childhood education available to all children ages 3-5. Investing in early childhood education repays itself in reduced costs for special education and remediation, crime control and social services, and increased revenues from a more productive workforce. We will move forward on this issue in a gradual, fiscally responsible way. Yes. I support the long-term goal of universal preschool. I will begin expansion of universal early education for 3- and 4-year-olds in the poorest communities where the return is likely to be the highest and quickest. I will also support broader expansion in a fiscally responsible manner. I support the expansion of full-day kindergarten. Yes. Because early learning is critical to future academic success, I will ensure that free, full-day kindergarten programs are available for all 5-year-olds in Massachusetts. Furthermore, I will work to expand education opportunities for 3- and 4-year-olds, particularly in under-served communities.
Q. Some school systems are hitting a state cap that limits the number of students that can enroll in charter schools. What do you think of raising the cap on charter schools to allow more of the experimental schools in Massachusetts? The main focus of our efforts on education should be to strengthen our public district schools — to ensure that each school provides a high-quality education. Charter schools are an important way to promote public school innovation and choice. I support raising the charter school cap in chronically struggling school districts. I support charter schools and believe they are laboratories of innovation and opportunities for choice in public education, particularly in communities where students are struggling. For this reason, I support lifting the cap, specifically in under-performing districts. At this time I do not support lifting the cap on charter schools. We must first focus on implementing funding mechanisms that will support innovative educational ventures such as charter schools without undermining funding for our district schools.
Q. For years, state education officials have been debating whether to increase the minimum score needed to pass the MCAS and earn a high school diploma. Should the state raise the minimum? Why or why not? In a competitive, global economy, we need to set our sights higher than merely passing MCAS. The goal should be for our students to achieve proficiency. As a step toward this goal, I support the Board of Education’s proposal to maintain the current MCAS passing score for now but require students who barely pass to complete an educational proficiency plan to graduate. I do not support increasing the minimum score needed to pass the MCAS at this time. More than one-third of all students in Massachusetts and two-thirds of minority and disadvantaged students would fail to meet that increased standard today. I support student accountability but it is time to start holding the adults and the system accountable as well. I will look into raising the minimum score needed to pass the various components of the MCAS in my first term. However, the MCAS should not be the sole assessment of student academic progress or teacher performance. Therefore, I will also look into developing using additional assessments.
Q. Holding teachers accountable for student performance remains a touchy issue nationwide. Should Massachusetts enter the fray and establish a merit pay system, linking teachers’ raises to their students’ test scores and other factors? We need to modernize teacher pay so we can recruit and retain great teachers. I have proposed offering grants to school districts for piloting new forms of teacher pay, including rewarding teachers for excellence, for taking on responsibilities like mentoring, and for teaching in hard-to-staff subjects and schools. I do not support merit pay as a statewide, topdown initiative. I do intend for the state to provide resources and flexibility to districts proposing innovations in education they believe will succeed and are willing to pilot. Instead of merit pay for individual teachers, I have proposed merit pay for entire schools in an effort to foster and reward collegiality, collaboration, and cooperation within schools across Massachusetts.
Q. Four years ago, voters approved a law that required the state’s public schools to teach non-native English speakers primarily in English. Most of the students have not become fluent enough to function in a regular classroom, even after three years of instruction. Should the state abandon its law on English immersion or retool it? If so, how? It is absolutely essential that our children learn English. We should not abandon the law on English immersion but instead continue to monitor its impact. Above all, we must strive to ensure that every child in every community is able to receive a high-quality public education. We swung from excessive reliance on bilingual education to binding ourselves to a one-size-fits-all English immersion strategy. Neither approach has yielded the results we need. I will focus on what works and seek out the best blend of approaches holding schools and districts accountable for successfully teaching children the English they need to master. I am skeptical whether the English immersion law is meeting its objectives. It is clear that we must act to address language barriers and the problems they present for the students and teachers in our schools.
Q. If you are elected governor, what educational problem will be your top priority, and how will you solve it? I will work to build a seamless system of world-class public education in Massachusetts, from preschool through public higher education. My priorities include moving the Commonwealth toward universal early education; closing achievement gaps by ensuring that each public school is a success; elevating student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and math; pursuing the goal that all of our young people receive a post-secondary degree or credential; and offering an affordable college education. My top priority will be to accelerate the rate of change, innovation, and improvement in our schools. We need to more rapidly explore new approaches, identify the winners and then proliferate them throughout our Commonwealth. That is why I will establish the Accountable Innovations Fund to provide resources and flexibility for the best ideas brought forward by teachers, parents, and school districts. One of the most pressing educational problems will be closing the achievement gap. My administration will work with school districts and teachers to ensure high expectations for all students, promote cultural competency, reduce drop-out rates, and encourage the use of differentiated instruction and special-education inclusion models. Specifically, I have stated my support of several proposals, (including) early education opportunities, reducing class sizes, extending the school day, better coordinating after-school programs, and assuring adequate health for our children.