July 03, 2009
School 'reform' snubs students
At the event sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC), Reville previewed parts of a Patrick administration legislative package. It will include raising the cap on charter schools under certain circumstances and the mechanics for creating Readiness Schools, the centerpiece of the governor's action agenda for education.
The proposals suffer from the adult-centric incrementalism that has marked so many establishment attempts at reform.
Reville said reform's slow pace is not due to lack of leadership on Beacon Hill, but failure to achieve consensus on issues like charter schools. He doesn't grasp that leadership is the precursor to consensus.