Gov. Patrick wants to close the "achievement gap." Good luck, pal.
Early intervention with struggling students, better coordination of student services, and improved professional development for teachers are among the strategies Governor Deval Patrick plans to propose next week in a sweeping package aimed at closing the achievement gap in Massachusetts' public schools.Administration officials outlined three initiatives this week that they said are emblematic of what the public can expect from the so-called Readiness Plan, set to be released Monday. However, the officials offered no cost estimates for putting the initiatives into practice and gave only a vague suggestion of how and when they hoped the initiatives would be implemented.
"Right now, we're shaping the larger outline of the system," said one administration official briefed on the plan, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "We definitely have to come to grips with questions like cost."
The first initiative would seek to identify children who appear, as early as elementary school, to be at risk of dropping out, and work with them to address areas of weakness, such as chronic absenteeism, academic struggles, and discipline problems. By addressing such issues early, Patrick officials hope to keep more youngsters in school.
A second effort would install student support coordinators in urban schools, who would work with teachers, parents, and social service agencies to develop individualized plans for children whose ability to learn is affected by emotional or physical challenges. The program is modeled after Project Connect, which is run by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
The third initiative, similar to a program offered by the Bay State Reading Institute, would use data-driven professional development to tailor classroom instruction to students' weaknesses, particularly in elementary school literacy.
UPDATE: More from Holly Robichaud, the Herald and Globe.
SECOND UPDATE: From the Globe.
THIRD UPDATE: From the Globe, AP and WCVB.
FOURTH UPDATE: From Aaron Margolis, Matt Margolis, the Globe and Herald.
