Newton Picked for Education Reform Collab

Three Massachusetts cities will join the By All Means initiative - a collaboration between the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) and public officials to further education reform in the United States.

Somerville, Newton and Salem were among six cities chosen for the multi-year endeavor, which will work to reshape education in lower-income areas and eliminate the relationship between socioeconomic status and achievement. The program will be run by HGSE’s Education Redesign Lab.

“This initiative stemmed from the belief that we need to fundamentally rethink the way we deliver education in the United States,” Paul Reville, the founding director of the Education Redesign Lab, said. Reville is also a former Massachusetts Secretary of Education.

As part of a two-pronged approach, mayors, superintendents and public officials from six cities across the country will hold symposiums called “Children’s Cabinets.” The idea is that education officials nationwide will attend these conferences and return to their communities with new practices to implement. By All Means will also provide consultants to help execute these new ideas.

The cities were chosen based on their track records of academic success, as well as their officials’ commitment to providing community opportunities for children to excel outside of the classroom.

“The goal is to produce more effective systems for developing and educating young people, Reville said, “So that we realize reform is necessary for children to be successful.”

Providence, R.I., Louisville, Ky. and Oakland, Calif. were also selected for the program.

Photo Credit: By All Means