MCLA President Mary K. Grant Named to New State 'Educator Preparation Advisory Group'

07/24/2012

NORTH ADAMS, MA - Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) President Mary K. Grant recently was named to a new Educator Preparation Advisory Group (EPAG) established by state education secretary Paul Reville. EPAG, a group of education, business and advocacy organization leaders, have been tasked to develop a more unified, aligned, and coherent public education system that will better meet the needs of all students in the Commonwealth.  This enhanced system will reflect the evolution of teaching and leadership in Massachusetts as well as the Patrick-Murray Administration's ongoing commitment to education.

"The quality of teaching is the most important variable in our public education system," said Secretary Reville. "Improving teacher preparation is vital to improving the quality of teaching in every Massachusetts school. This working group is perfectly positioned to make a major contribution to the quality of education in the Commonwealth and I look forward to collaborating with them in this work."

EPAG members will examine challenges facing educators in Massachusetts, research best practices from other leading states, and develop recommendations for a more robust and aligned educator preparation system in the Commonwealth.  Members also will serve as liaisons to the different stakeholder groups that they represent including the Boards of Early Education and Care, Elementary and Secondary Education, Higher Education, and the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees; the early education, K-12, and higher education sectors; educator preparation and advocacy organizations; and the business and philanthropic communities. 

The EPAG also will consider additional topics including the specific challenges facing educators in urban areas and other higher-need communities; enrollment, admission, and retention policies at educator preparation programs; principal preparation and its relationship to teacher preparation; and collaboration with other sectors to increase awareness about and support for all educators and the teaching profession.

In addition to Grant, other EPAG members are as follows: 

§  Maura Banta, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
§  Anna Bradfield, Bridgewater State University
§  Sean Brooks, Governor's Teacher Advisory Group
§  Celine Coggins, Teach Plus
§  Carol Craig-O'Brien, Board of Early Education and Care
§  Mary Czajkowski, Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents
§  William Dandridge, formerly with the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
§  Charles Desmond, Board of Higher Education
§  Marie Enochty, Boston Public Schools
§  Jody Figuerido, Institute for Education and Professional Development
§  Linda Hayes, Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association
§  Nadya Higgins, Massachusetts Elementary School Principals Association
§  Alyce Lee, University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees
§  Shirley Lundberg, Massachusetts Association of School Committees
§  Jeffrey Mullan, University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees
§  Daniel Murphy, American Federation of Teachers - Massachusetts
§  Patricia Plummer, Office of the President, University of Massachusetts
§  Fernando Reimers, Board of Higher Education
§  David Roach, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
§  Linda Romero, MassBay Community College
§  Eileen Rudden, Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education
§  Jesse Solomon, The Boston Plan for Excellence in the Public Schools and the  Boston Teacher Residency Program
§  Paul Toner, Massachusetts Teachers Association
§  Eleonora Villegas-Reimers, Board of Early Education and Care
§  Jeff Wolff, Massachusetts Head Start Association