Newsletter Archives

Council Mourns Loss of Kennedy, Egan
 
The Massachusetts business and political communities last month mourned the loss of two legends as Senator Edward Kennedy and Ambassador Richard Egan both passed away after battles with cancer.  For more perspective on Senator Kennedy's significant contributions to the state's technology community, please read the Council's latest President's Bulletin and a related story in the September 1 Boston Globe.
 
Dick Egan was a force of nature on the state's technology and political landscape for decades.  Egan co-founded EMC Corporation in 1979 and helped grow the storage giant into the Commonwealth's largest technology employer.  Dick's commitment to serving our nation, which began with a tour as a Marine Corps helicopter pilot, continued in 2001 when President George W. Bush tapped the Dorchester native as ambassador to Ireland.
 
During the 1990s, Dick was one of the Council's most active and effective board members, leading the charge on key issues like federal litigation reform and securing a new delay-reduction runway at Logan Airport.  His straight-talk, his determination and most of all, his friendship, will be sorely missed.  On behalf of the Council, we offer our deepest condolences to the entire Egan family.
 
For more on Dick Egan's lasting impact on Massachusetts, please view this September 1 Mass High Tech story, Remembering Dick Egan.
 
Council Continues Push for Meaningful Education Reform

During the summer school vacation, the Council made progress on bolstering the state's public education system to bring economic opportunity to all Massachusetts students.  The Council's associated policy group, Leaders for Education, has started work as part of a broader coalition of community and educational groups to bring about reforms, including pushing for the passage of Governor Patrick's charter school and "Readiness Schools" legislation. 
 
The Governor's bills, which expand the charter public school cap and provide state and local government the tools to turn-around underperforming schools, must be passed by the Legislature this fall in order for the state to compete for federal education stimulus funds.  The coalition, coordinated by the Boston Foundation, will implement an aggressive communications and political strategy to ensure the passage of the Governor's bills and other reform efforts.  The teachers unions and other interest groups strongly oppose the expansion of charter schools and any measure that would allow the state a more active role in helping failing schools.
 
Council Takes Lead Role in Charter Ballot Initiative 

The Council has been working on a parallel track to expand the number of charter schools in Massachusetts through a 2010 ballot initiative. Charter schools are particularly important in urban settings, where they typically outperform traditional schools by a wide margin. Despite the proven success of charter schools (as shown through a 2009 Boston Foundation study), there are strict restrictions on the growth of these innovative learning models.  The ballot initiative would eliminate the cap on charter schools and allow for increased competition and school choice across the Commonwealth.

For more information on the ballot initiative, please see the Council's August 5 President's Bulletin.  An important update will follow the September 15 meeting of the Council's Board of Directors, which will feature Paul Reville, State Secretary of Education.
 
Mass Insight's Math and Science AP Program Delivers Remarkable First-Year Results

One of the Council's partners in education reform, Mass Insight, has proven that innovation and a commitment to student and teacher excellence can make a measurable difference in diverse Massachusetts schools. Mass Insight's Massachusetts Math & Science Initiative (MMSI) works to expand Advanced Placement math, science and English programs at high schools statewide in order to help more students follow more rewarding college and career pathways. 
 
Over the first year of the program, the initial group of 10 MMSI schools increased the number of students passing AP exams by 39 percent - more than 11 times the statewide average. Among African-American and Hispanic students, MMSI schools increased the number of passing scores by 71 percent. 
 
MMSI was funded primarily through a six-year, $13.2 million private grant from the National Math and Science Initiative.  MMSI provides extensive training for AP and Pre-AP teachers, establishes AP lead teachers, demands additional student preparation and provides performance-based awards for students and teachers.  Starting in the current school year, MMSI will be working in an additional 12 schools, including Peabody High School, Worcester South and Lawrence Math, Science and Technology High School.
 
Despite the unqualified early success of the program, MMSI faces significant challenges from local and statewide teachers unions, which object to the teacher financial awards as "merit pay."  The privately-funded awards make up only a small portion of the program, which is the state's largest teacher professional development and support program.  The Massachusetts Teachers Association and numerous local unions, including those in Worcester and Boston, are working on many fronts to undermine the program.  This stance by the unions was roundly criticized by the state's leading newspapers - including the Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Worcester Telegram & Gazette - which strongly support MMSI's expansion.   Please visit the MMSI website for more on the program.
 
Council Monitoring Federal Unionization Bill
 
The Council has been working with Boston law firms Goodwin Procter and Choate Hall and Stewart monitoring the status of the so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would dramatically change key provisions of the National Labor Relations Act to the detriment of employers.  The EFCA, opposed by the Council, would make it much easier for unions to organize private sector employees and obtain bargaining representative certification, would expedite and reshape the collective bargaining process for initial contracts and would impose stricter penalties upon employers for labor grievances. 
 
Although it looks less likely EFCA will be approved by Congress in 2009, this bill is a significant threat to Massachusetts technology employers.  While a previously scheduled September 16 panel discussion of this topic has been postponed, the Council will continue to monitor and report back on this issue.
 
Council Members Invited to MIT Conference

In September, MIT's Technology Review is hosting its ninth annual EmTech Conference, which brings together renowned innovators and senior-level decision makers from the business, investment, and technology communities to explore the emerging technologies poised to affect the way we live and do business.  The three-day event, held September 22-24 at MIT, includes technology leaders from Alcatel-Lucent and GE.
 
Council members are eligible for a discounted rate of $895, which is $600 off the original price.  Please click here to register for the conference (enter offer code TRADE on step two and the page will refresh with the discounted pricing).
 
You can view the entire conference agenda by clicking here.
 
Follow the Council on Twitter
 
Check out Council President Chris Anderson's new Twitter page (http://twitter.com/hightechcouncil) which will be updated regularly on critical developments in the state's public policy arena.  Anderson will have a special focus on education reform.