News Article - Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

For Immediate Release
Monday, January 7, 2002
Contact:	Heidi B. Perlman 781-338-3106

Education Week Ups Massachusetts’ Grades in Quality Counts Report

MALDEN - Massachusetts’ public schools earned high marks in three of the four other areas assessed in the new Quality Counts issue of Education Week. Education Week grades all 50 states annually in four categories relating to public education. In Improving Teacher Quality, the state ranked third in the nation and received a B; in Standards and Accountability, Massachusetts ranked seventh and received an A. The state also received a B- for Adequacy of Resources and a D for Equity of Resources. Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll said he was proud of the state’s results on this year’s survey, but questioned how the Equity of Resources grade was calculated. "We are pleased that Education Week recognized all of the hard work done in our public schools this year by our teachers, administrators and students by giving us some of the highest grades we’ve seen, " he said. "But the Equity of Resources grade doesn’t make sense to me. The state of Massachusetts has made a major commitment of an extra $7 billion in education spending since 1993. That money has gone directly to districts." The issue, dedicated to early childhood education, also recognized Massachusetts for having "some of the highest licensing standards for early child care, and the most child-care centers with national accreditation of any state." The state was also lauded for making its commitment to early childhood an important part of its efforts to improve education. Education Week also recognized the Department for drafting preschool standards that are curriculum based and for the expansion of the Community Partnerships for Children preschool program. The report was released today and can be viewed at the Education Week Web site.

Last Updated: January 7, 2002