Democratic candidate for Governor of Massachusetts Don Berwick released his education platform Monday, focusing on ensuring all children have access to pre-kindergarten education, creating equality in the elementary and secondary schools, and expanding education for Massachusetts residents into the community colleges.
Currently, Democrat and current Attorney General Martha Coakley leads the polls with a 53 percent approval rate. Republican candidate Charles Baker currently leads over the other Democratic candidates including Berwick but still trails Coakley by a 13 point margin. Although this doesn’t fare well for Berwick, there is still a long time until the Nov. 4 election.
In his education platform Berwick wants to work with children from birth through higher education in order to create STEM ready students. He also plans on creating a cabinet level position to facilitate cooperation among state agencies, cities and towns.
Berwick, the former administrator of the Centers of Medicare and Medical Services (CMS), focuses strongly on creating a strong support system for families with children from birth to five years of age. Currently, Massachusetts ranks 27th in enrollment of 4-year-olds in pre-kindergarten programs and has 30,000 children on wait lists for infant, toddler and preschool care. His goal is to ensure that all children have access to pre-kindergarten care.
“As a pediatrician, I know that the seeds of success or failure in education are sown early – beginning with prenatal care, and extending through the time a child enters school,” writes Don Berwick on his campaign website.
“The key to success in education is clear to me. It is a proud, capable, respected, and fully supported teacher workforce,” Berwick said in a statement.
Teachers want to be agents of improvement, and I will ensure that they have every resource and support necessary to be that. In health care, commerce, and education, alike, excellence surfaces only in institutional cultures built on teamwork, collaboration, and total involvement, not on ‘carrot-and-stick’ management or enforced compliance with simplistic standards. Teachers are not the problem; they are the solution.
From 2000 to 2013 there have been cuts to the budget for higher education by 31%. Berwick plans on working on innovative solutions to raise college completion rates in low income communities. He also plans on creating more support in vocational and technical programs in high school and community colleges and wants to make available in-state tuition rates for undocumented residents.
Berwick stated, “Education in Massachusetts should be world class, across the board, and accessible to all.”
[Picture courtesy of Politico]
