New! Effective School Districts in Massachusetts, A Study of Student Performance on the 2002 MCAS Assesments Relative to District Demography: The Fifth Annual Report

Written by Dr. Robert D. Gaudet, Senior Research Analyst, UMass Donahue Institute

Education reform working in Massachusetts for most students; More innovation needed for urban, special needs and vocational students

Written by Dr. Robert D. Gaudet, Senior Research Analyst, UMass Donahue Institute

First Findings: Summary Report of the First 19 Audits

This is a publication of the Education Management Accountability Board, a state bureau that audits school systems on the progress of education reform.

Kids Can't Wait: The Campaign for the Class of 2003... and Beyond

This is a diverse grassroots coalition consisting of school leaders,
business people, parents, and government to work together to identify and expand resources available to high school students who need them most.

Education Benchmarks is designed to give citizens the information they need to understand the progress of public education reform in Massachusetts. You can find out about your local schools, compare the performance of different school systems, track progress over time, and learn about Massachusetts education reform efforts over the years. Education Benchmarks can also link you to other helpful sites, let you ask questions about our schools, and involve you in discussions with others who share your interest in education issues.

The Massachusetts Education Benchmarks project is designed to develop understandable analyses and evaluations of the progress of reforms triggered by the Education Reform Act of 1993.

• Benchmarks will assemble data from a variety of sources, gather other information as needed, and organize and present it so as to inform a vigorous debate about education reform that is based on facts and figures, not on possibilities and promises.

• Information will be collected from the agencies that routinely gather facts about education - the Local Services Division of the state Department of Revenue; the Massachusetts State Auditor; and the state Department of Education.

• Additionally, Educational Benchmarks will utilize Robert Gaudet's school district effectiveness methodology to add context to evaluations of educational achievement.

First, providing resources to enable all of us to better understand education reform is a legitimate public purpose.

Second, providing such information will contribute to the legislature's making sound decisions about education reform.

Third, developing Education Benchmarks will provide an informed, more objective counterpoint to the sometimes incomplete praises and criticisms of standards-based education reform.