MassINC Press Release
October 1, 2002
(Please note: The Center changed it's name to The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy in Februaruy 2004.)
MassINC Launches New Education Reform Center
Nonpartisan think tank and noted education expert partner to improve public education
Citing a lack of objective analysis in the area of education reform, MassINC today announced the creation of the Center for Education Research and Policy at MassINC, a nonpartisan policy research organization that will focus on school change and student achievement. Noted education expert and Harvard education lecturer Paul Reville will serve as the center's executive director.
"Massachusetts is one of the nation's most important laboratories for reforming education, and yet we've failed to match our commitment to change with a hard look at what really works for kids and schools," said Tripp Jones, co-founder and executive director of MassINC. "The Center for Education Research and Policy at MassINC will serve as a resource to help the state think strategically about where we're headed."
Using MassINC's nonpartisan, evidence-based model, the new center will produce academic and opinion research, publications, briefings, and discussions on a range of education challenges, such as developing post-high school pathways for seniors who fail to pass the MCAS, strengthening school and district accountability, and improving the quality of teaching.
"The Commonwealth's massive investment in education reform creates an obligation to study its progress. I am delighted to be joined in partnership with MassINC to do this work," said Reville. "Our job is to help shape the education reform agenda and push policymakers in thoughtful, creative directions."
The Center for Education Research and Policy enhances MassINC's ability to fulfill its mission to promote the growth and vitality of the middle class.
"Education is the principal ladder into the middle class," said Jones. By expanding our research capacity in this area, we help ensure that more children have access to this ladder and a lifetime of opportunity."
Initial funding for the Center for Education Research and Policy at MassINC is provided through the generosity of the Robert N. Noyce Foundation. "We are very interested in fostering informed, constructive, inclusive dialogue about education reform issues," said Penny Noyce, trustee of the foundation. "We chose the team of MassINC and Paul Reville because of their track record in building public understanding of potentially divisive political issues."
About Paul Reville
One of the most respected educational leaders in the nation. Paul Reville is a lecturer on education at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education and the executive director of the Pew Forum on Standards-Based Reform, a national education think tank. For the past six years, he has served as the chairman of the Massachusetts Education Reform Review Commission. Appointed by the Governor, the Commission is charged with overseeing the state's implementation of the historic Education Reform Act of 1993. He previously served a term on the Massachusetts State Board of Education.
Paul has also served as the executive director and co-founder of Alliance for Education, a foundation dedicated to improving public schools in his native Worcester and Central Massachusetts, and as co-founder and executive director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE), an organization that provided key conceptual and political support for the Education Reform Act. He is a former teacher and principal who holds a master's degree from Stanford University and a bachelor's degree from Colorado College.
