Word: nolan
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...bigger problem is under-performance,” Nolan says. “I’m not a big MCAS freak,” she adds, referring to the oft-maligned Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests. “But what MCAS, the 1993 Education Reform Law, and the No Child Left Behind Act have done is make us start focusing on improving scores and closing the achievement...
...Nolan strongly opposes private-school vouchers out of concern for the separation of church and state, but she does support charter schools. Though the position puts her squarely in the minority on the School Committee—she was the only pro-charter school candidate this past year—Nolan points out that her stance “must not have hurt me too much” since she did win the seat...
...Charter schools only arise where people are not satisfied with the school system—no one is calling for charter schools in Newton, Lexington, Belmont, or Brookline,” Nolan says, referring to some nearby, affluent towns with high-performing schools. “Charter schools give people who are not rich an alternative to their regular schools, and the threat of competition spurs the public schools to improve...
...Because charter schools are outside of the purview of the School Committee—charters are granted by the state—Nolan says that Cambridge should be taking other “bold steps” that have proven successful in addressing under-performance in cities across the country. Among them is increased tutoring for failing students, the hiring of more math and literacy coaches, and more teacher mentoring programs within the classroom...
...first way to accomplish these steps, Nolan says, is to return the fiscal surplus to the schools and make sure more money reaches the classroom by reducing “the extraordinarily high” central administration expenses...