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Romney Campaign Press Release - The Romney Record On Education: Expanding Choice And Opportunity

May 21, 2012

As Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney Helped Expand School Choice And Create More College Opportunities For Students:

Governor Romney Helped Start The Adams Scholarship Program, Which Granted Tuition-Free Scholarships To Students Who Scored In The Top 25 Percent In Their District. "On education, Romney, over the Legislature's objections, instituted the Adams Scholarship program, which offers tuition-free scholarships at public colleges to students whose MCAS scores place them in the top 25 percent of students in their district." (Scott Helman, "Romney Exits With Pomp, Ambition," The Boston Globe, 1/4/07)

  • In 2006, More Than 16,000 High School Students Qualified For The John And Abigail Adams Scholarship. "Governor Mitt Romney today announced that 16,169 high school students have earned a John and Abigail Adams Scholarship this year providing four years of free tuition to the University of Massachusetts or any other of the state's public colleges. ... 'Talented and hardworking students, particularly those faced with economic challenges, deserve whatever financial help we can give them. They have earned it with their good grades, and we want to make it easier for them to pursue their college education right here in Massachusetts,' said Romney." (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Awards Free Tuition To 16,000 High School Seniors," Press Release, 9/15/06)

Governor Romney Helped Expand School Choice In Massachusetts By Opposing Efforts To Limit New Charter Schools. "Romney also vetoed a number of outside sections of the budget, including: ... A moratorium on the opening of five new charter schools in North Adams, Lynn, Salem, Marlborough and Cambridge." (Office Of Governor Mitt Romney, "Romney Signs $22.402B Fiscal Year 2005 'No New Tax' Budget," Press Release, 6/25/04)

  • Governor Romney, In 2004: "Charter Schools Have Provided Poor And Working-Class Families Across The State With Real Public School Choice." "For nine years, charter schools have provided poor and working-class families across the state with real public school choice. We should not retreat from the progress we have made and return to a time when educational opportunity was the exclusive province of the affluent." (Mitt Romney, Op-Ed, "Charter School Halt Is Bad Choice," The Boston Herald, 5/5/04)

By The End Of Governor Romney's Tenure In Office, Massachusetts Had 61 Operating Or Planned Charter Schools With An Enrollment Of 23,000 Students. "Romney spoke after granting charters to three new schools and extending the charters of eight other schools. The new schools are the Fall River Maritime Academy Public Charter School; the Pioneer Charter School of Science, which will serve students in Chelsea, Everett and Revere; and the New Bedford Global Learning Charter School. ... With the new additions, there will be 61 charter schools in Massachusetts in the fall of 2007. There are currently 23,000 students enrolled, with a waiting list of 15,000." ("Romney Celebrates Charter Schools As He Adds Three, Extends Eight," The Associated Press, 5/3/06)

And Governor Romney Supported Reforms Encouraging Teacher Accountability:

Governor Romney Proposed New Bonuses And Incentives For Successful Teachers. "On the issue of education, Romney renewed his call for a package of bills he sent to the Legislature last fall. He wants to give bonuses to science and math teachers, Advanced Placement teachers, and the top one-third 'most successful teachers in each school.'" (Scott S. Greenberger and Scott Helman, "Romney Proposes $200M For Health," The Boston Globe, 1/19/06)

As Governor, Mitt Romney Proposed Giving Principals More Power To "Hire, Fire, And Deploy Teachers." "He has also proposed allowing the state to intervene more quickly in schools with sagging test scores and giving principals more authority to hire, fire, and deploy teachers." (Scott S. Greenberger and Scott Helman, "Romney Proposes $200M For Health," The Boston Globe, 1/19/06)

Governor Romney Presided Over An Education System In Massachusetts That "Outperformed Every Other State In Both Reading And Math":

Under Governor Romney, Fourth And Eighth Grade Students In Massachusetts Scored Highest In The Nation In English And Math Tests. "The National Assessment of Educational Progress, a comprehensive reading and math examination given to hundreds of thousands of students periodically since 1990, including in 2003 and last spring, was the first nationwide exam to allow a direct comparison between two successive test administrations since Mr. Bush signed the law in January 2002. ... The test results pointed to some clear standouts. Massachusetts students outperformed those of every other state in both reading and math at the two levels tested." ("Bush Education Law Shows Mixed Results In First Test," The New York Times, 10/20/05)

Mitt Romney, Romney Campaign Press Release - The Romney Record On Education: Expanding Choice And Opportunity Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/301662

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