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 will be 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 will be a chance to hear state-level thoughts on the future of education. And our Action Guide will dig into ideas and examples of ways to rethink education in a way that prepares students for college, careers, and life. Below is what you can expect to hear from us starting on Monday, January 27.
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
We'll be sharing a recorded conversation with practitioners working on innovative programs, highlighting some outside-the-box approaches that address the fundamental concerns of schools today. Check your inbox for this discussion on Tuesday!
JANUARY 29: DATA STORY
To dig deeper into indicators featured on our Data Dashboard, our series of Data Stories analyzes trends that have a significant impact on students, educators, and the Massachusetts public education system as a whole. On Wednesday, we'll release our latest data story, focused on teacher recruitment and retention
JANUARY 30: CONDITION OF EDUCATION EVENT
Join us on Thursday for a conversation on the future of our education system featuring Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler and 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.
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JANUARY 30: ACTION GUIDE
This year's report will expand on our efforts to reenvision when, where, and how students learn by asking two critical questions: what are the core functions of education, and how can we fundamentally rethink the structure of the education system to accomplish these? It will feature examples of innovative programs from across Massachusetts and beyond.