From: "Deval L. Patrick" <info@devalpatrick.com>
To: Francis J. McLaughlin, Jr. <franklhs@comcast.net>
Subject: Secretary of Education Appointed
Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:06:47 +0000

 

Dear Friends,
I'm proud to announce that Paul Reville will be taking the helm as our Secretary of Education--the first person to hold the post in over a decade.
A signature focus of my administration is to create a comprehensive, world-class system of public education in Massachusetts--one that prepares students to excel in the world and economy of the 21st century. There is no person better equipped to prepare our schools for the future than Paul.
In this 21st century global economy, it is critical that Massachusetts students can compete with students from nations such as China, India, Ireland and Indonesia. We all recognize that educational excellence is essential for personal success and development, but it is just as important to our success as a Commonwealth.
The only way we grow and expand economic opportunity in this state is to focus on the skills that employers are looking for. In today's economy, employers can choose any place in the world to grow their business. Our calling card to these entrepreneurs has to be our education system and our skilled workforce.
We have made tremendous progress, but we can never fail to address those areas where we can and must improve. Paul has proven that he is a change agent--someone who is willing to challenge our traditional assumptions about education in order to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
As Secretary of Education, Paul will be building on a long and distinguished career of championing educational excellence. Paul Reville was one of the leaders and architects of the Education Reform Act of 1993, the series of reforms that repositioned Massachusetts as the national leader in education. His background, extensive experience and unique vision make him perfectly suited to help lead Massachusetts into the next chapter of education reform.
Building on the success of education reform that began 15 years ago, we have made unprecedented investments in early education, K-12, and higher education. We have put forward strategies to address our most persistent challenges, like achievement gaps that leave behind too many poor and minority students. And we have initiated our Commonwealth Readiness Project, a broad-based effort to bring every stakeholder to the table, and develop a system of education that meets the needs of every community. These are all part of a comprehensive effort to write the next chapter of education reform in Massachusetts.
I hope that you will join us. To learn more about our appointees, please visit www.mass.gov, or to participate in the grassroots arm of the Readiness Project click here.
Sincerely,