Nationally, Mass. schools shine, but achievement gap persists

Massachusetts excels when it comes to starting education pilot programs.  The results are rather fuzzy when it comes to the follow through in measuring outcomes, achievement of goals, and program replication.  Perhaps that's why some of our education inequalities continue.  It's time for a more thoughtful and comprehensive vision and road map to lay out what it takes - aka, resources - to educate all of our children and to reduce the achievement and opportunity gaps.

... the state still has a stubborn achievement gap separating white and minority students. “Standards-based education reform continues to remind us of the gap between our aspirations and our performance,’’ says Reville. “And that gap is still too big.’’  (Editorial: The Boston Globe)

So what's the next step?  Start another pilot program or two!  Been there, done that.  With all the education research that's been conducted around the US and the world, there should be programs with proven results that could be implemented system-wide to address the third grade reading proficiency issues for non-native English speakers.  Why reinvent the wheel when we can implement a program with documented results?  We'll have done the cost-benefit analysis up front, and more children will participate, presumably benefitting.  Seems like a larger leap forward for education reform for public education in the Commonwealth...for more children...not just a chosen few.