Our Massachusetts Page includes articles and statistics on education issues from the past year. Never before in the state has education featured so prominently in a race for governor, observers there say. Be it teacher or student testing, the state school board, class-size reduction, or teacher professional development, it's all been fair game for the Republican contender, acting Gov. Paul Cellucci, and his Democratic counterpart, state Attorney General Scott Harshbarger. And it's consistent with what I'm hearing nationally in races around the country.
Education keeps emerging as a top priority.
Massachusetts is one of 36 states with contests for governor on the Nov. 3 ballot. The Bay State's spotlight on schools comes at a time when the Massachusetts economy is humming along, welfare rolls have been cut, and the crime rate has ebbed. It lays out in detail what all public school students should know in the core subjects of English and language arts, mathematics, science and technology, and history and social science. Not surprisingly, the reform law has become a prime political issue this year, with each candidate accusing the other of failing to support the plan until the election campaign. And Paul Cellucci has failed that test.