Think tank to weigh ed reform's results
The Boston Herald
Ed Hayward, Herald Staff
October 2, 2002
Saying the state has failed in its duty to carefully study the results of the 1993 Education Reform law, a nonpartisan think tank unveiled a project yesterday designed to measure what taxpayers have received for their $10 billion investment in fixing Bay State schools.
"The state is just plain failing to do any real research and evaluation on the impact of (the law)," said Tripp Jones, executive director of MassINC. "That is going to have major implications on how we do a better job of thinking about where the future of reform is going."
With a grant from the Noyce Foundation, MassINC plans to launch a center for education research and policy, led by longtime education watchdog Paul Reville, who has headed the state's Education Reform Review Commission.
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Unknown are the effects of other aspects of the major overhaul of the education system, such as the removal of principals from unions, the end of teacher tenure system and the creation of school site councils of parents, teachers and administrators.
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Jones and Reville said education reform is analyzed by several prominent advocacy groups and think tanks on an annual basis, but MassINC's investigations will allow an "evidence-based" model used to evaluate public safety, housing costs and adult literacy.
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Reville said the new center could study access to early childhood education, fairness issues in testing, post-high school pathways to passing MCAS, and the effect of teacher unions on reform.
"We are attempting to be a spur to get policymakers to address those issues, " said Reville.
