Education Reform in New England

USED Meets with Regional Stakeholders on Education Reform

November 10, 2009

Bedford, NH: "We will not be the bottleneck," declared officials from the U.S. Department of Education to more than 150 representatives of education, parent, and community groups who gathered in Bedford on November 10 to share ideas, questions, and perspectives on education reform in New England.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan marked the occasion through a video address in which he congratulated New England's educational leadership, charging that those present "collectively have a chance to shape the national dialogue."

Appearing in person with three associates, Deputy Secretary Tony Miller laid out the challenges and framed a holistic inter-related system of educational reform, focused on K–12 teaching and learning in a continuum from support for early education through college graduation and career preparation. "It starts with teachers and learners in the classroom," he said, "that is what we have to get right." Miller encouraged participants to approach the "once in a generation, unprecedented" funding opportunity—close to $100 billion—in an equally holistic, strategic, and integrated way. "Money and ideas should be aligned where possible," he said, "The grants are aimed at challenging and stimulating thinking."

Jessica McKinney of the Department walked participants through the range of federal funding opportunities available between now and next spring. To emphasize the integrated approach the Department seeks, she said, icons in each grant application signal how one grant is related to another. Maura Policelli, of the Deputy Secretary's Office, noted that "our presence here is intended to model what we want you to do. We're all coming together, and hopefully you are, too."

Long-time New England educators Peter McWalters, former Commissioner of Education for Rhode Island, and Nick Donohue, former New Hampshire Commissioner of Education and now President and CEO of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, closed the morning session with reflections from a "New England" perspective. Both were active, with Richard Cate of Vermont, in creating the NECAP (New England Common Assessment Program), and spoke passionately about the challenges, opportunities, and unique advantages New England enjoys. "This is our battle," McWalters said, and called on participants "not to be shy about collaborating." Calling this moment "catalytic," Donohue foresaw widespread challenges to the status quo that will result in richer, more usable information about teaching and learning.

The daylong event—the first in the nation organized by a regional comprehensive center to bring regional representatives and USED officials together to learn from each other—was organized by six federally funded centers: the New England Comprehensive Center (NECC), the Northeast and Islands Regional Education Lab, the Region 1 Parent Technical Assistance Center, the Region 1 Equity Assistance Center, the New England Regional Resource Center, and the Center on Instruction. Carol Keirstead, director of the NECC, praised the Department in the roles of both presenter and listener, noting that Department officials attended each of the five breakout sessions that took place in the afternoon. "People got a chance to see the Department as thoughtful and engaged," she said.

Participants saw immediate application for the day's work not only in conceptualizing and preparing grant applications, but as a resource for professional development, networking, and improving their day to day work, whether in schools or education agencies. As one participant said, "This has given me inspiration to persevere."