Hank Naughton '82
Since 1993, we have annually seen an increase in educational
funding to municipalities pursuant to the Education Reform Act.
Most recently, we have implemented a means by which to determine
the
success, or lack thereof, of the components of the Education Reform
Act in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS)
exams.
Unfortunately, the initial results of the MCAS examinations were
not encouraging in light of the efforts made to comply with the
Education Reform Act. The Cellucci administration suggested that
the reason for the poor results may be the competency level of
our public school teachers. Consequently, the governor has proposed
across-the-board testing of veteran teachers in the Commonwealth.
Coincidentally,
the proposal came at a time when
the then Lieutenant Governor Cellucci was seeking the corner office
on
Beacon Hill.
As an ardent supporter of public education in Massachusetts and
through-
out the country,
I believe that subjecting our veteran teachers to a competency
examination is not only unnecessary but also grossly unfair. To
date, the teachers of Massachusetts have never been required to
take a competency examination, because their performance has been
evaluated by internal measures of their respective school districts,
as promulgated through the state's Department of Education.
A more appropriate "question" to ask is why the administration's
first response
to poor MCAS results is to deliberately suggest that the teachers
of this Commonwealth are incompetent and to immediately recommend
examinations. While there very well may be individuals who are
not performing effectively in this state, means to determine such
situations can and have been effectively utilized without the
need of an examination.
More importantly, to target veteran teachers who have dedicated
their professional lives to educating our children is an indication
of an unwillingness to address what may be a deeper problem. Perhaps
we should consider such avenues as lowering the number of students
per classroom, continuing to appropriate increases in state local
aid to municipalities, maintaining an up-to-date and challenging
curriculum, and support of remediation programs geared to the
needs of individual school districts.
Furthermore, we must continue to emphasize the importance of homework
and home support of our school children. The opportunity to apply
the daily educational lessons to homework is essential to the
learning process. Accordingly, we must be mindful of limited free
time in today's professional world where typically both parents
are working to support the family.
For the aforementioned reasons, I believe that an examination
is the easy way out of a problem which is certainly not limited
to the efforts of public school teachers.
Representative Harold P. Naughton Jr. has been in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since 1995. He graduated from Assumption College in 1982, and holds a law degree from Suffolk University Law School.