More handouts (small change… just $10,000,000,000) from the US Department of Education to the teachers unions. The media treatment makes it sounds like it might actually made a difference. That is probably wrong – nothing sensible is likely to come out of the education establishment in D.C.:
Through Race to the Top, we are asking States to advance reforms around four specific areas:
• Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;
• Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction;
• Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and
• Turning around our lowest-achieving schools.
Awards in Race to the Top will go to States that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive education reform. Race to the Top winners will help trail-blaze effective reforms and provide examples for States and local school districts throughout the country to follow as they too are hard at work on reforms that can transform our schools for decades to come.
I think “fixing the schools” could be extremely simple – a twist on the fee-and-dividend (revenue-neutral carbon tax). That is full value vouchers: give each student (the consumer) a voucher of value equal to what the public schools are currently spending per pupil. I.e., give it all back, then allow the consumer to decide where she wants to buy her education. Oddly, the teachers unions don’t like my idea.
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