Former education professor and director of Dartmouth’s teacher education program Rebecca Holcombe took office as Vermont’s Secretary of Education on Jan. 2. Holcombe said one of her main goals is to improve the education opportunities the state provides young people by closing both the achievement gap and the opportunity gap.
Whether through changed academic programming or by providing additional help to teachers, Holcombe said she aims to ensure that students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds have equal opportunities to learn and succeed.
In addition to closing the achievement gap, Holcombe said, it is important to address the opportunity gap, which can disadvantage students from lower socioeconomic classes. Early intervention, including preschool opportunities for children and support for families, has been shown to level the playing field by helping young students get off to a strong start.
Dual-enrollment programs, allowing high school students to receive college credit for their coursework, are also important, Holcombe said.
“This could help kids who might not have otherwise gone to college to try and see that they can do the work, and think about how to best take advantage of opportunities given to them,” she said.
Holcombe emphasized the importance of preparing students for a changing world and ensuring they are ready to find jobs in an evolving economy. She proposes better integrating technology into curricula and preparing students to adapt to a changing workforce.
In terms of measuring achievement, Holcombe said that standardized testing serves a valuable purpose but is only “one tool in our toolkit,” and that new ways must be found to capture aspects of learning that the tests cannot adequately measure.
She added that schools need proper incentives, like grants, to improve teaching and curricula. The Children’s Literacy Foundation, for example, encourages Vermont and New Hampshire elementary schools to apply for grants of up to $25,000, which provide literacy programming and children’s books.
The grant’s purpose is to supplement existing literacy programs at schools where high percentages of students score below state standards on language arts tests. Aid is also given to regions where a large portion of students qualify for free or reduced lunch to target low-income and rural areas.Vermont needs to strategically target resources in order to ensure that state taxpayers are getting the most value for their dollar, Holcombe said.
Holcombe, who began working at Dartmouth in the fall of 2011, helped develop the College’s evidence-based teacher certification program into one of nation’s most rigorous, education professor Michele Tine said.
“I have no doubt that our teacher education program will benefit from [Holcombe’s] dedication and incredible efforts for years to come,” Tine said. “She possesses an absolute, unbending, unimpeachable integrity.”
Education professor David Kraemer was equally enthusiastic about Holcombe’s appointment, calling her a strong leader and a supportive colleague.
Upon being appointed by Gov. Peter Shumlin, D-Vt., last September, Holcombe, a Norwich resident, resigned from her position at the College. An offer has been made to fill her role, according to education department chair George Wolford.
Prior to her work at the College, Holcombe was a principal at Fairlee School in Vermont and a social studies and science teacher at Hanover’s Richmond Middle School. She served as director of academics during the creation of the Rivendell Interstate School District, which includes three districts in Vermont and one in New Hampshire. She received degrees from Brown University, the Simmons College School of Management and Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. She received her teacher certification through the Upper Valley Educators’ Institute and received her principal certification from Lyndon State College.
Holcombe is replacing outgoing Secretary of Education Armando Vilaseca, who joined Vermont’s Agency of Education in 2009.
