The 68th governor of Massachusetts, Bill Weld might be the only state executive in a century who dreams in ancient languages and can effortlessly connect lessons from 5th-century B.C. Greek historians with modern K-12 education policy.
In paraphrasing Thucydides' masterpiece, History of the Peloponnesian War, Weld described why he, Tom Birmingham and Mark Roosevelt — architects of the landmark 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Act (MERA) — undertook this work: They wanted to create “a possession for always.”
June is the 25th anniversary of MERA, which has been the most successful state-driven enterprise of our time. On its path to educational excellence, the Bay State developed America's best academic standards, student and teacher tests, and vocational-technical and charter public schools.
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