New England Board of Higher Education » Rennie Center

Manager of Mass. Race to the Top-Early Learning Application to Lead Rennie Center

John O. Harney — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:36:29 +0000

The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy hired Chad d’Entremont as its new executive director. A former research and policy leader at Teachers College of Columbia University and Strategies for Children, d’Entremont managed Massachusetts’ successful application for a $50 million Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge award. At Rennie, he succeeds Jill Norton, who oversaw the center's research on issues such as school discipline practices, student mobility, dropout prevention, student learning plans to support transitions from college to career, Common Core standards and teacher evaluation.

Mass. Forum to Ask What Is Meant by “College and Career Readiness”

John O. Harney — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:41:27 +0000

The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy and the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education will hold a forum on "Defining and Assessing College and Career Readiness" on Tuesday June 14, at 8:30 a.m. at the Seaport World Trade Center Boston.

"While the goal of the previous Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks was to ensure students’ proficiency in specific disciplines," says the Rennie Center in its forum overview, "the goal of the new Common Core State Standards is to ensure that all students are college- and career-ready. Yet, to date, there has been no clear, statewide definition of college- and career-readiness."

Speakers will include: Mitchell Chester, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Richard Freeland, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education; Robert Schwartz, academic dean at Harvard Graduate School of Education; David Mancuso, vice president of external affairs at AT&T; and a panel of students and teachers.

Report Shines Light on 21st Century Skills Needed for Success

John O. Harney — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:43:22 +0000

The Rennie Center released A New Era of Education Reform: Preparing All Students for Success in College, Career and Life which calls attention to the need for 21^st century skills in today’s classrooms.

The report, funded by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, summarizes a survey of Massachusetts district and school leaders coupled with their opinions on the importance of 21^st century skills. These 21^st century skills include communication, technology literacy, collaboration and creativity.

More than three-quarters of the leaders agree that the integration of 21^st century skills into public school learning curricula is necessary, including in areas where students are lacking basic skills. The report suggests educators regularly incorporate 21st century skills into the teaching of core content, rather than as specialized add-ons.

The report also indicates that, despite widespread support for integration of 21^st century skills, school leaders feel a lack of state support for the initiative.

To further enrich understanding of how 21^st century skills can be integrated into the classroom, the Rennie Center also visited leaders and educators at 12 Massachusetts schools where 21^st century skills are considered a priority.

“In order to secure the long-term prosperity of the region, we must increase the overall number of learners who possess the skills and knowledge necessary for full participation in postsecondary education, work and life,” said Nellie Mae Education Foundation President and CEO Nicholas C. Donohue. “We hope that this report helps to move the conversation along so that educators can prepare all students with what they need to know and begin to measure those skills in ways that allow us to accurately gauge progress.”

More information and a copy of the report can be found on the Nellie Mae Education Foundation’s website