Is the Obama Administration going to side with school reformers, or will it reward state and local teachers union affiliates that defend the status quo? This is a question states are asking as they prepare their applications for $4.35 billion in Race to the Top competitive grants. Some guidance from Education Secretary Arne Duncan would be helpful.
Teachers unions in Minnesota and Florida are currently threatening to withhold support for their state Race to the Top applications, which are due later this month. So is the school board association in Louisiana. This matters because the Administration has placed a premium on states garnering "local school district support" in order to win a grant. Not having union buy-in isn't fatal, but it definitely hurts a state's chances of getting federal funds.
Check out the original post by The Wall Street Journal
1 Comments
It will be interesting to watch and see how all of this unfolds in the upcoming months. I'm not sure that this is the way to "race to the top" and not sure that it should be the goal. At the heart what we need is better, more authentic learning, a focus on health, and a building of family/school community.
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