Influential education support group unable to escape economic realities
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Clive McFarlane
April 10, 2003
The Alliance for Education, an influential force in building community support for public education during the past decade, has succumbed to financial and leadership challenges and will close its doors in June.
Founded as a nonprofit organization in 1985, the Alliance, a collaboration of business and education institutions, specializes in school-business partnerships, education advocacy, grant making and community involvement.
It also provides professional development for educators and leadership and policy development workshops for administrators.
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Alliance officials also noted that the Education Reform Act of 1993, which raised academic standards for public education while providing billions of dollars in additional education aid, gradually diminished the original role of the organization.
But S. Paul Reville, one of the organization's founders and its first executive director, said he does not ''buy the argument that since schools have been adequately funded, that the community can stop rallying around the cause of raising students achievement levels.
''It is very disappointing to see the demise of an organization that means so much and contributed so much in Worcester,'' he said.
''There is a compelling argument for an organization such as the Alliance, and for it to cease operations is a failure of leadership. Its financial problems ultimately reflects a lack of vision and urgency of the Alliance to organize the community in terms of supporting effective schools.''
Mr. Reville, executive director for the Center for Education and Research Policy at the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth, said he hopes that ''on reflection, community leaders will find a way to revive a role for an independent mechanism to organize community support for high standards for all students.''
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Worcester Superintendent of Schools James A. Caradonio said the organization's efforts in fostering school-business partnerships will be missed.
''They provided strategic and supportive programs,'' Mr. Caradonio said. ''It was a place for real community engagement in public education.''
