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Race to the TopDepartment of Education

Watch and listen to this clip “It’s time to stop just talking about education

reform and start actually doing it. It’s time to make education America’s national mission”

President Barack Obama, November 4, 2009

Race to the Top

•On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This act was designed to support job creation, stimulate the economy, and invest in various areas, including education.•The ARRA provided for $4.35 billion for the Race to to the Top fund, a competitive grant program designed to encourage and reward States that are creating the conditions for education innovation and reform (as stated in the Race to the Top Programs Executive Summary)

Some things to think about….

Do you think a program such as Race to the Top promotes success ? Does it promote “teaching to test”?

What do you think John Dewey would have thought of the Race to the Top program?

Do you agree with Diane Ravitch’s view? Read this

Change in Education over the past 20 years

What are the advantages to each of these methods?

District-designed curriculum

State-driven standards and

testing (Clinton & Bush)

Common Core Standards & High-stakes

national testing

As future educators, is it our duty to follow current

teaching patterns?

Tell me more

Race to the Top Executive Summary

It is crucial to read this summary in order to understand the full realm of this reform, including an overview of the program and the points system, eligibility requirements, and other important factors. Read it, it will help to comprehend what the program was/is aiming to do.

Press Release on November 12, 2009

What is RTTT doing?

“Race to the Top will reward states that have demonstrated success in raising student achievement and have the best plans to

accelerate their reforms in the future. These States will offer models for others to follow and will spread the best reform ideas across their

States, and across the country” Race to the Top Executive Summary, page 2

How does the funding work?

Criteria for Funding

Great Teachers and Leaders (138 total points)

State Success Factors (125 total points)

Standards and Assessments (70 total points)

General Selection Criteria (55 total points)

Turning Around the Lowest-Achieving Schools (50 total points)

Data Systems to Support Instruction (47 total points)

RTTT v. NCLB?

A Smarter Path to a "Race to the Top" in Education Reform

In this article, Dan Lips explores RTTT – this article was from January 26, 2010 soon after the reform

was enacted. He criticizes the reform and compares it to NCLB. What do you think? Compare and contrast RTTT to NCLB. Lips

contends that states should have more say in how federal education funds get distributed. Do you

agree? What would be the benefits and disadvantages of this?

Progress

NYS Presentation / Phase 1 / Finalist

Year 1 Annual Performance Report

Phase II Information - Check out application forms and info - it's quite interesting!

Some other views…

Is RTTT “devastating”? Are standardization, central

ization, and test-based accountability helping or hurting our school systems

Where is the funding coming from? What are the positive

aspects of RTTT? Can we benefit from this program?

Does reform like NCLB and programs like RTTT promote cheating? Read this and decide for yourself

References

Levine, M., & Levine, A. (2012). Education deformed: No child left behind and race to the top. this almost reads like our business plans. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82(1), 104-113. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1939-0025.2011.01142.x/abstract

Lips, D. (2010). A smarter path to race to the top in education reform. WebMemo, 2779, Retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2010/01/a-smarter-path-to-a-race-to-the-top-in-education-reform

Onosko, J. (2011). Race to the top leaves children and future citizens behind. Democracy & Education, 19(2), Retrieved from http://democracyeducationjournal.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1017&context=home&seiredir=1&referer=http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=race%20to%20the%20top%20leaves%20children%20and%20future%20citizens%20behind&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CC0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdemocracyeducationjournal.org%2Fcgi%2Fviewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D1017%26context%3Dhome&ei=Fp6jUJbBFsbEsgac6IGoCQ&usg=AFQjCNGWJX4zG_Wl4RTY_bbiSiHo7xVljA

Ravitch, D. (2010, August 1). Obama's race to the top will not improve education. Huffington Post Politics, Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-ravitch/obamas-race-to-the-top-wi_b_666598.html

 U.S. Department of Education, (2009). Race to the top executive summary. Retrieved from website: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/executive-summary.pdf

U.S. Department of Education, (2012). Race to the top executive summary. Retrieved from website: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-district/2012-executive-summary.pdf

Winerip, M. (2012, January 22). In race to the top, the dirty work is left to those on the bottom. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/education/in-obamas-race-to-the-top-work-and-expense-lie-with-states.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0