Boston College Citizen Seminar
JUNE 18, 2008
Too many left behind: new choices and challenges for Massachusetts School Reform
Fr. Donald J. Monan, Chancellor of Boston College, welcomes the crowd to the breakfast in the Abigail Adams Ballroom at the InterContinental Hotel.
Mass. education lags, says new secretary
American students aren't getting the education they need and businesses are suffering, Massachusetts' incoming education secretary Paul Reville told Boston's business and civic leaders yesterday.
"Our students are not ready for higher education, life and work in the 21st century," he said during a well-attended Boston College Citizen Seminar, which was sponsored by The Chief Executives' Club of Boston, MassINC and the John LaWare Leadership Forum.
Greg Torres, President of MassINC, gives opening remarks.
Even as Massachusetts celebrates the 15th anniversary of its education reform act, business leaders are struggling to find employees with proper oral, writing and presentation skills, Reville said.
His comments echoed the findings made by MassINC, a public policy think tank. The group has just released a study saying that while Massachusetts public education has gotten better, there are still too many students who aren't benefiting from that progress.
Keynote speaker, Paul Reville, the new MA Secretary of Education.
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Eric S. Rosengren and Sovereign Bank New England Chairman John Hamill were among the attendees.
After the seminar, Christopher Anderson, president of the Mass High Tech Council and former chairman of the state's education board, said he agreed with Reville.
The panel included, from left to right, Nicholas C. Donohue (President & CEO, Nellie Mae Education Foundation), Grace Fey (Principal Grace Fey Advisors; Leadership Council, Governor's Readiness Council), Elizabeth Reilinger (Chair, Boston School Committee), Anne Wass (President, Massachusetts Teachers Association), and Lisa Wong (Mayor, City of Fitchburg).
"We need to change the way we do education, but to do that, we need to find a dramatic ramp-up of revenue.
"The question is, "How do we get there?'" he said.
Also yesterday, Gov. Deval Patrick appointed Maura O. Banta and Beverly A. Holmes tot he state's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
A vibrant audience crowded into the event.
Banta, a Melrose resident, is IBM Corp.'s East Coast regional manager for corporate citizenship and corporate affairs.
Holmes, a Springfield resident, is senior vice president at MassMutual Financial Group.
Article by Christine McConville
Boston Herald
Thursday, June 19, 2008