Gloria Larson, President, Bentley University and Chair of PBLN's Education Working Group
We bring together business and policy leaders to ensure that a dialogue occurs in which both are educated by the perspective of the other, and business leaders with high levels of understanding of education issues can educate and engage their peers. The goal is to move business leaders toward meaningful action steps and impact. Interested in participating in the Education Working Group? Click here to send an email (subject line: Education WG) to learn about how to get involved.
Leadership:
Chair: Gloria Larson, President, Bentley University
Coordinator: Christine Williams, Deputy Gen. Counsel/Special Assistant to the President, Bentley University
Current Focus Areas:
Bringing greater innovation and equality of educational opportunity to all students; closing the achievement gap; and investing in public higher education and workforce development
Recent Activity & Accomplishments:
- Initiated a dialogue between business leaders, policymakers, and educators to better align skills students learn in public higher education with growing job sectors.
- Spearheaded PBLN participation in the Massachusetts Race to the Top Coalition with other business/community organizations in a successful effort to pass education reforms into law and secure substantial federal funding for innovation and turnaround strategies.
- Led a PBLN Field Visit to the Jeremiah Burke High School in Dorchester, MA to explore the challenges of turn-around schools and the implications of education reform on the ground.
- Hosted conversations with Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville, Associate Commissioner for Economic and Workforce Development for the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education David Cedrone, Massachusetts Ways and Means Committee Chair Charley Murphy, charter school and teachers’ union advocates, community leaders, senior executives of higher education institutions and leading businesses.
PBLN Values & Policy Statement:
Values Statement: There is nothing more important for securing our future than the education of our children. The achievement gap along racial and economic lines in the United States is a reflection of grave social injustice and must be addressed as a top educational priority. The risk of education in the United States falling behind the educational standards of other leading nations presents both a moral and strategic imperative. We believe that the business community has an important role to play in addressing complex social sector issues like education; and we are committed to empowering innovative thinkers and education entrepreneurs to create new possibilities for children. It is in this spirit that PBLN supports passage of education reforms that bring access to innovation and excellence for all students from cradle to college. At the same time we view these innovations in education as essential contributions to the invention of a sustainable, competitive economy defined by shared and lasting opportunity and prosperity.
Policy Statement:
1. We support all public schools, including charter schools
2. We support policies that seek to ensure that all public schools, including charter schools, reach out to and include in innovative programs the various populations of students that have historically been under-represented in such programs
3. We support bringing innovative models to the children and teachers most in need of our attention because of the challenges facing the most underperforming schools
4. We support the development of innovative models within local school districts, whether they are put together by teachers, by local district administrators, by the state or by a combination of all of these valued members of the education community
5. Specifically, we support the package of K-12 education innovations and reforms filed by Governor Deval Patrick in Massachusetts, captured in the two pieces of legislation entitled, An Act Establishing Readiness Schools and An Act Relative to Charter Schools
6. We urge policy makers and business leaders to support additional innovation ideas including extended learning time for children at all levels and a comprehensive effort on excellence in education from cradle to college.
The above policy statement reflects the position of PBLN. This position was developed by the PBLN Education Group and adopted by the PBLN Board of Directors. We encourage individual business leaders to “opt-in” by signing on to our policy statements, which PBLN may use publicly to advance awareness of our position. If you would like to opt-in and sign on to any or all of PBLN’s policy statements, you may do so by emailing PBLN Director of Operations Aaron Chalek at aaron@pbln.org.
Archives:
PBLN Testimony on the Middle Skills Solutions Act - October 27, 2011
Education Working Group panel discussion video – JFK Summit 2009
Case Study: A Call to Serve: Impacting Education Through Board Service
