Our Policy Agenda

In this issue:  MBAE 2017-2018 Policy Priorities | Speaker DeLeo’s Early Ed Proposal | Supporting Excellent Teaching

As the legislative session gets underway, MBAE shares concerns raised in a Boston Globe Editorial on Sunday about a bill that would roll back education reforms that have made Massachusetts number one in the nation in student achievement.  The proposals described in the editorial would dismantle systems that: hold schools accountable for ensuring students learn; provide teachers valuable feedback that can make them more effective; and, give educators and school leaders the authority to determine what’s best for their students’ learning needs.

With 75% of MA employers reporting difficulty finding qualified candidates to fill open positions and while deep inequities in education continue to hold back our most disadvantaged communities, Massachusetts should be looking to build on and improve, not unravel, a system that has delivered significant results.

MBAE will intensify our efforts to defend student progress and, at the same time, insist on continued improvement to ensure opportunities for all students and a healthy commonwealth for decades to come.  Read about our policy proposals below.

MBAE 2017-2018 Policy Priorities

Consistent with our long term plan developed with input from hundreds of Massachusetts stakeholders and in response to attempts to dismantle critical improvements in education, MBAE’s 2017-2018 policy priorities are:

DEFENDING:

• A system that recognizes and rewards excellent teachers and provides support for professional growth.
• High expectations for learning and assessments aligned to college and career success.
• Strong accountability systems to promote equity and support struggling schools.

ADVANCING:

• Money is for students first.  Funding must be delegated to the schools so that money allocated for the student is spent on that student to address their unique challenges and needs.
• Extend flexibility and autonomy for school leaders and teachers.  Provide new school flexibilities instrumental in turnaround and charter success to all schools, beginning with expansion to Level 3 (lowest 20%).
• Focus on results.  Develop productivity reviews that enable districts and schools to assess the effectiveness of initiatives and programs and demonstrate the value for people’s tax investment in education.
• Incentivize innovation to drive continuous improvement.  Set aside at least 1% of any new school funding to create an Innovation Fund that can be used by empowered, trained school leaders and educators to drive improvement and close opportunity and achievement gaps.
• Elevate the teaching profession. Strengthen preparation of early childhood and K-12 teachers and leaders to improve student outcomes.
• Close opportunity and achievement gaps for our most challenged students.  Create Personal Opportunity Plans to provide resources for students who lack access to wider out-of-school learning opportunities or academic supports that enable that young person to catch up.

Speaker DeLeo’s Early Ed Proposal

Last week, House Speaker Robert DeLeo released the findings of his Early Education and Care Business Advisory Group (of which MBAE is a member), called for an increase in salaries for early educators, and announced he will file legislation to improve professional development for early education teachers.  MBAE applauds the Speaker for focusing on one of the critical milestones in successful education of every child.

See The Boston Globe story for more information.

Supporting Excellent Teaching

Proposed changes to the state’s teacher evaluation regulations substantially weaken them and will make it harder to achieve the critical goal of ensuring every student in the Commonwealth is taught by a highly effective teacher every year.

MBAE is urging the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to reject the proposed amendments.  Research consistently shows that teacher quality is the most important school-related factor that influences student achievement.  Teacher evaluation alone cannot ensure excellent teaching, but a well-designed and implemented system that includes constructive feedback is a critical tool that can improve teacher effectiveness.

MBAE, and the business leaders we represent, believe that high quality teaching should be a critical area of focus in education.  In a recent survey of Massachusetts employers, two-thirds of respondents said the business community should put “a great deal” of focus on making sure schools have good teachers. 82% said schools should use “performance, rather than seniority” for personnel decisions.

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Employers play a pivotal role in bringing about needed change in our public education system.  Please join MBAE  in our effort to ensure every student graduates high school prepared for success in college, career and citizenship.