Attendees, Speakers Look Ahead to Challenges and Progress at the 2010 New England Regional Forum
Mar. 2010
The topic of the economy and its effects on K–12 and higher education institutions permeated the three assembly meetings at the 2010 New England Regional Forum. Jim Glassman, senior economist for JPMorgan Chase, provided an overview of the country’s financial state and explained that what happens in the economy affects education after a bit of a lag. However, he said that he believed that in 2010, the U.S. economy would see more improvement. “We can borrow a theme from the Black Eyed Peas: ‘It’s going to be a good year.’” He also said that educators did benefit from the fiscal stimulus plan because it provided funds that kept state and local governments from making more severe budget cuts.
Glassman said there was a widely held view that the economy began to improve last summer, “and it appears to be the real thing. . . . In your world, and from most people’s perspectives, we’re very far away from where we need to be. This is not a contradiction because the economy is in a deep hole. The level of activity is low and unemployment is high, but this is not the new normal. . . . It may take quite a few years to get there, but we no longer have to feel that bottom is ahead. “
He said that educational institutions tend to trail economic trends. The current economic downturn is reflected by stresses on state and local budgets, reduced endowments and financially squeezed families. “Reality comes to you several years later. We start sounding happy right about the same time it starts feeling bad for you.”
He closed by stressing the importance of a culture of risk taking and innovation, and he emphasized the critical role education plays in the financial health of the country. “Education is not a guarantee of success, but lack of it is often a guarantee of failure. . . . For most of our kids who will be competing in the global work place, the best hope for them is to get them educated. We need to reach that 40 percent who are not getting through high school. That’s the real disaster.”
At the annual meeting of the New England Regional Council, Chair Peter Neeley, the director of studies and college counseling at Thayer Academy in Braintree, Mass., welcomed new member intuitions and thanked the council members who were completing their terms of service.
Don Honeman, dean of admissions and financial aid at Clark University and a College Board Trustee, provided the Trustees’ report. He explained that the Board of Trustees focused on issues related to the downturn of the economy. He reported that the College Board sustained a $25 million budget reduction though 2010. Fees for assessments were held flat while progress continued with projects such as major SpringBoard® curriculum revisions, the introduction of Score Choice™ and the SAT® website redesign.
College Board Chief Operating Officer Herb Elish talked about the way the organization has changed in the past 10 years. “The change has been led by the Trustees, by the membership and councils, who have driven all of us toward focusing on our mission — to raise up and improve the quality of American education with the goal of giving every child the opportunity to receive an education that prepares them for success in college.” Elish shared examples from the College Board’s future goals such as innovative delivery of robust professional development, diagnostic-based school reform support, and the establishment of the new College Board Advocacy & Policy Center.
“I urge you all to be involved,” he said. “We will be looking for opinions and advice. We know we don’t know all the answers — you know the answers a lot better than we do. The wisdom is in this room, and we want you to help inform the strategy as we move forward prepared to make substantial investments to help change the face of education.”
Return to Top
