Mike Ross, mayoral candidate hopeful, held an education “roundtable” Sunday night at his campaign headquarters in South Boston. Ross’ education plan looks to build on a few of his competitors.
According to a press release, those in attendance featured parents, teachers and education advocates. Topics of discussion focused on providing more mental health services to students, increasing opportunities for professional development and common planning for teachers, alternative teaching methods and ensuring access for all parents to their children’s schools.
The roundtable came on the heels of the release of Ross’ educational plan last week.
“I’m proud of my plan, but I don’t think I have all the answers,” Ross said. “That’s why I called this round-table, so that we could bring people who have a real stake in our schools together to discuss how to make them work better for our children.”
Ross’ plan is also geared toward helping non-college bound students prepare for the workforce and ensuring that more advanced students are prepared for college level studies.
If Ross is elected as mayor, he wants to install a system similar to California’s where high school juniors are allowed to participate in a voluntary assessment, which determines their readiness for college level courses. Those who pass will be allowed to bypass their senior year and enter college. Additionally, those who are ready will be granted automatic entry into at least a community college, if he or she chooses.
Those who do not pass the assessment will be allowed to focus their senior year courses on areas that need improvement.
For students who do not plan on attending college, Ross wants to set up technical and vocational programs at high schools and overhaul Madison Park—Boston’s only high school offering technical/vocational education—in the hopes of providing students with an education similar to Worcester Tech.
Education figures to be a hotbed issue in the coming weeks as the race ramps up. Thus far, Ross’ plan appears to be the most drastic overhaul of the Boston school system.
City Councilor John Connolly, the favorite to replace Mayor Thomas Menino, has branded himself as the education candidate in the upcoming election. Connolly, a former teacher and Boston Public School parent, has focused on extending “learning time” at every Boston Public School. Connolly’s goal is to implement a longer school day in Boston schools, which currently rank among the shortest school days in America.
Additionally, Connolly wants to focus on recruiting and retaining the most qualified teachers, while implementing a better model for principals to evaluate teaching candidates.
District Attorney Dan Conley’s education plan has also focused on the evaluation methods of Boston Public Schools in terms of teacher performance. Conley is a strong supporter of the charter school system with hopes of lifting the enrollment cap. Conley appears to be focusing on providing parents with more options for their children rather than focusing on fixing a struggling public school system.
Until recently, Ross had not inserted himself in the education debate. The unveiling of his plan last week should at least cause voters to take notice. While Connolly has the most experience in the Boston Public School system, his plan remains relatively conservative.
Conley’s advocacy for charter schools seems to inadvertently acknowledge that the Boston Public School system is beyond saving.
Ross’ plan is a hybrid of both Connolly’s and Conley’s. Ross wants to extend the school day by upwards to two hours and provide alternative education plans for family in students. Rather than charter schools, Ross’ focus is on vocational and tech education.
Ross is the only candidate who has identified the elephant in the room: not all students can or will attend college following high school. With the job market scarce and in need of candidates who possess technical proficiency, Ross’ educational plan is just as much about jobs as it is classroom reform.
