What is the fundamental role of schools? What skills, knowledge, and abilities do we want our students to graduate with? How can we rethink education to prepare students for life in 2025 and beyond?
These are questions we’ve always grappled with, but they have become even more pressing over the past year. Since the MCAS graduation requirement was voted down in November, the education field has been debating how to assess students’ readiness for life after high school. But before we can create a meaningful system of measurement, we need to take a step back and answer these critical questions.
Our annual Condition of Education week served as a jumping-off point for this conversation. A look at our data dashboard offers an opportunity to see where we are succeeding and where work needs to be done when it comes to preparing students at all age levels. Our event featuring all three education commissioners and the Secretary of Education was a chance to hear state-level thoughts on the future of education. And our Action Guide digs into ideas and examples of ways to rethink education in a way that prepares students for college, careers, and life. Below are all the resources we shared during the last week in January.
JANUARY 27: DATA DASHBOARD
This year, we launched new features on our interactive data dashboard! The Dashboard continues to track a wide-ranging set of indicators in the Massachusetts education system, from early education through college and career. The latest feature, our "K-12 Data Explorer" tool, allows users to further explore key indicators at the district and regional levels.
JANUARY 28: COMMUNITY CONVERSATION
Before we release our Action Guide that serves as a roadmap for rethinking our education system, we want you to hear from practitioners who have pushed boundaries, experimented with bold ideas, and reimagined what school can be. Listen in to this conversation as educators and community members share the barriers they’ve faced, the conditions that supported them, and their visions for a more innovative, equitable, and effective education system in Massachusetts.
JANUARY 29: DATA STORY
Rethinking the teaching profession has never been more urgent—longstanding challenges in education are leading to unprecedented rates of burnout, job dissatisfaction, fewer people entering the profession, and many leaving it altogether. Our latest data story analyzes statewide enrollment and completion rates in teacher preparation programs, MTEL pass rates, and teacher retention data, among other metrics, to uncover trends in the teacher pipeline. The data highlights why systemic changes are necessary to strengthen and sustain the teaching profession.
JANUARY 30: CONDITION OF EDUCATION EVENT
On January 30 we held our annual summit on the state of education in Massachusetts, bringing together education leaders, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss the future of education. The event featured a keynote address from Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler and a panel discussion with all three state education commissioners—Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw, Elementary and Secondary Education Acting Commissioner Russell Johnston, and Higher Education Commissioner Noe Ortega.
JANUARY 30: ACTION GUIDE
This year's Action Guide points to trends in chronic absenteeism, student disengagement, and growing achievement gaps to highlight the urgent need to rethink the structure of education. A substantial body of research points to a large divide between how schools operate and how students learn. This report argues that Massachusetts, a longtime leader in education, has tremendous potential to be a pioneer in transformative educational models.