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So if your state took Race to the Top money then your state has to comply with the Fed mandates of it. The NYTimes had an article about NYS and how they have to comply. Race to the Top though seems to be passing the buck for how to implement and measure to the states. And in the case of NY they are passing the buck to the schools. IMHO this does not bode well.
That includes rating teachers and principals by their students’ scores on state tests; using those ratings to dismiss teachers with low scores and to pay bonuses to high scorers; and reducing local control of education.
Second, the secretary of education, Arne Duncan, and his education scientists do not have to do the dirty work.
.. it is the state’s responsibility to create a system of alternative ratings.
Isn't that what they signed up for? Are you surprised by this, or think this is somehow bad?
I find it frightening. As a teacher in North Carolina (a Race for the top state) it is obvious that this program is intended to weed out veteran teachers and create an endless cycle of replacing teachers every 2-3 years--HOW MANY TEACHERS WILL EVER HAVE 100% PASSING?) or just increase the likelihood of getting students to pass by any means necessary.
I've been saying since Arne Duncan was appointed that RTTT will one day make NCLB look like a cakewalk. Every administration that tries to 'improve' education just messes it up even more... as if elected officials know education better than those who do it for a living.
What teacher would go work at an inner city school with high dropout rates knowing they will be judged, not on their work, but on how many of their students pass the state test ?
The inner city schools will be empty and run by long term subs while the suburban schools will have a waiting list of teachers wanting to work there.
If you job hinges on 20+ strangers and how well they do on a test then you want to make sure you get the best and brightest 20+ strangers to teach, not 10 with the other 10 just along for the ride until they are old enough to drop out.
I've been saying since Arne Duncan was appointed that RTTT will one day make NCLB look like a cakewalk. Every administration that tries to 'improve' education just messes it up even more... as if elected officials know education better than those who do it for a living.
You're right. My fellow educators complained about George Bush and NCLB. Bush would tell you exactly what his feelings were about education and teachers didn't like what they heard. Barack Obama pretended to be supportive of teachers and appointed his henchman, Arne Duncan to do the dirty work. Duncan has no real education experience. He was a sociology major who went on to play basketball in Australia after college. He used his Chicago family connections to gain an appointment by Chicago Mayor Daly to run an after-school Chicago experiment. He never taught in a classroom or ran an individual school as a principal.
I would much rather have someone be honest with their feelings and beliefs than to appear to be on your side and work behind the scenes to meet their own agenda.
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Every administration that tries to 'improve' education just messes it up even more... as if elected officials know education better than those who do it for a living.
