A Decade of Learning: Education Reform in Massachusetts
Thursday, May 1, 2003, 8:00 AM - 12:00
FleetBoston Auditorium
Boston, MA
Sponsored by:
Join key education leaders for a half-day forum to recognize
the 10th anniversary of the 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Act and
to hear Governor Mitt Romney's special address
Opening Plenary, 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
The Future of Education Reform: Standards, Markets and Professional Reforms
What Have We Accomplished? Where Are We Headed?
Read the Opening Plenary transcript. >
Keynote Speaker
Chester Finn, President, The Fordham Foundation
Panelists
Jeff Howard, Founder & Chair of the Board, The Efficacy Institute, Inc.
Larry Myatt, Director & Co-Founder, The Fenway Institute
Michael Ronan, Chief Operating Officer, School Works
Nationally, there are three major schools of thought on educational improvement: standards-based reform, market-driven reform, and professionally led reform. Over the past decade, educators and policy leaders in Massachusetts and across the country have experimented with all three strategies. What has been accomplished? What has been learned? How does this experience inform our view of the challenges ahead and how to meet them?
Concurrent Workshops, 9:30 AM - 10:45 AM
I. School Finance Reform - FY'04: Doing More With Less
While schools and districts are being asked to do more with less during the current budget crisis, they face the daunting tasks of improving school performance and sustaining the momentum of education reform. In this session, we will discuss major proposals for the Commonwealth's FY'04 budget and strategies for reforming state school finance. In light of the Commonwealth's current fiscal limitations, how can we continue to increase student achievement while promoting fiscal adequacy, equity, and stability?
Moderator
Michael Widmer, President, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation
Panelists
Sen. Robert Antonioni, MA State Senator; Co-Chair, Joint Committee on Education
Robert Costrell, Director of Research & Finance, Office of Administration & Finance
Rep. Peter Larkin, MA State Representative; and Assistant Vice Chair, Ways & Means Committee
Edward Moscovitch, Economist, Cape Ann Economics
Norma Shapiro, Legislative Director, ACLU of Massachusetts
David Tobin, School Finance Consultant, Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents
II. Visions of Accountability
In Massachusetts, we have implemented a system of student accountability, but have not yet fully addressed how to hold adults responsible for their performance in providing students with full and fair opportunities to learn. This session will discuss the theory of practice and accountability. We will consider current practices as well as concepts and proposals for a more comprehensive system of educator, school, and district accountability.
Read the Accountability Workshop transcript. >
Moderator
S. Paul Reville, Executive Director, Center for Education Research & Policy at MassINC and Lecturer, Harvard University Graduate School of Education
Panelists
Sheldon Berman, Superintendent, Hudson Public Schools; and President, MA Association of School Superintendents
David Driscoll, Commissioner, Department of Education
Joseph Rappa, Director, Educational Management Audit Council
Mark Roosevelt, Vice Chair, Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education
Rep. Marie St. Fleur, MA State Representative; Co-Chair, Joint Committee on Education, Arts, and Humanities
III. Strategies for Aligning Adult Basic Education and Post-Secondary Education
The Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 charged the Department of Education with responsibility for delivering ABE services. Now, Governor Romney wants to shift ABE governance to the Board of Higher Education. This session will discuss various strategies to align ABE with post-secondary education including governance, transition programs, credentialing, and reforms to federal and state policy.
Moderator
John Schneider, Acting Director, MassINC; and Director, New Skills for a New Economy Campaign
Panelists
Brian Bosworth, President, FutureWorks
Mishy Lesser, Vice President, Program and Resource Development, CommonWealth Corporation
Patricia Plummer, Deputy Chancellor, Board of Higher Education
Jessica Spohn, College Transition Project Director, New England Literacy Resource Center
Closing Plenary, 10:45 AM - 12:00 Noon
A Decade of Learning: Education Reform in Massachusetts Accomplishments, Challenges & Strategies
Read the Closing Plenary transcript. >
Since its passage, the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 has resulted in landmark reforms of educational policy and practice. Over the past decade, the Commonwealth has made significant accomplishments and confronted major challenges in implementing this legislation. Massachusetts is now considered a national school reform leader. This session recognizes the anniversary of the Reform Act and reviews our many achievements, while highlighting those areas of policy and practice that still require attention and leadership. Join us for a moderated, fish-bowl discussion with state and community leaders as they share their thoughts on where we have been and where we are going.
Special Address
Governor Mitt Romney, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Moderator
S. Paul Reville, Executive Director, Center for Education Research & Policy at MassINC and Lecturer, Harvard University Graduate School of Education
Panelists
Mara Aspinall, President, Genzyme Pharmaceuticals and Genetics
Sheldon Berman, Superintendent, Hudson Public Schools and President, MA Association of School Superintendents
Rep. Thomas Finneran, Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Kathleen Kelley, President, Massachusetts Federation of Teachers
Steven Leonard, President, City on a Hill Charter School
James Peyser, Chairman, Board of Education; Chairman, Educational Audit & Management Council
Mark Roosevelt, Vice Chair, Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education
Michael Sentance, Secretary's Regional Representative, U.S. Department of Education
