President Obama to Push Race to the Top

[kpete]

Source: ABC News

President Obama to Push Race to the Top

November 03, 2009 4:23 PM
ABC News’ Yunji de Nies Reports:

Tomorrow, on the anniversary of his election, President Barack Obama heads to Madison, Wisconsin to speak at a local middle school. He’ll address education policy, with a focus on the ‘Race to the Top’ initiative. That $4.35 billion dollar program, funded through the Recovery Act, is a national competition among the states, to inspire education reform.

“He’s going to talk about his education reform plan and he’s going to highlight the importance of innovation and excellence in our public education system,” said Melody Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council, on a conference call with reporters, “This competition is not based on politics or ideology or interest group preferences. It’s based on whether or not a state is ready to do what actually works.”

To qualify for the money, states must meet four “assurances”:
-designing and adopting internationally benchmarks and standards
-recruiting, developing, rewarding and retaining effective teachers and principals
-build data systems that measure students’ success
-providing support for turning around low performing schools, in part by expanding the number of charter schools

When the parameters on the funding were first announced, several states were immediately identified as already out of the running because of existing state laws. Among them, California, that state’s legislature quickly acted to change its laws to qualify by allowing teacher pay to be linked to student performance. Barnes said a number of other states, including Illinois, Tennessee, Ohio, Connecticut, Rhode Island have raised their charter caps or defeated proposed cuts to charter school funding, so that they too can compete. Wisconsin’s state legislature will vote on Thursday on legislation similar to that adopted by California, which would allow students performance to impact teacher pay. If the measure does not pass, Wisconsin will not be eligible for Race to the Top dollars.

Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/11/president-obama-to-push-race-to-the-top.html

[Beetwasher]

1. What A Ridiculous Headline, What The Hell Is Wrong W/ These Editors?

n/t

[rurallib]

2. Certainly conveys a meaning quite different than the true story.

ed. - looks like a headline written by drugRush

[joeycola]

10. Obama Coaxes States to Change With School Dollars

He is in WI to push his agenda.

Forum Name General Discussion: Presidential
Topic subject Obama and Duncan will be further pushing privatization of schools and high stakes testing...
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8732604#8732622
8732622, Obama and Duncan will be further pushing privatization of schools and high stakes testing...
Posted by joeycola on Wed Nov-04-09 03:10 PM



Forum Name Latest Breaking News
Topic subject Obama Coaxes States to Change With School Dollars
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4131605#4131605
4131605, Obama Coaxes States to Change With School Dollars
Posted by joeycola on Wed Nov-04-09 04:03 AM

Source: abc





Obama Coaxes States to Change With School Dollars

Obama uses stimulus money to coax states to embrace his school agenda



Using stimulus dollars as bait, President Barack Obama is coaxing states to rewrite education laws and cut deals with unions as they compete for $5 billion in school reform grants, the most money a president has ever had for overhauling schools. And it may end up going to only a few states.

In Wisconsin, where Obama will visit Wednesday, lawmakers are poised to change a law to boost their state's chances. Nine other states have taken similar steps.

And states can't even apply for the money yet.

"There is an appetite out there for change," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"There's been really dramatic movement in a number of states," said Duncan, who will travel to Madison, Wis., with the president. "This was the goal, but we didn't know if anyone was going to respond."

Respond they have.................................

No president has ever had that much money for schools at his discretion. Only Duncan — not Congress — has control over who gets it. And only some states, perhaps 10 to 20, will actually get the money.

Obama will use the trip to Wisconsin to call attention to the actions states are taking, one year after his election, to put his vision of reform in place, Melody Barnes, Obama's domestic policy director, told reporters Wednesday on a conference call.

Obama sees the test score data and charter schools, which are publicly funded but independent of local school boards, as solutions to the problems that plague public education.

The national teachers' unions disagree.......

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/WireStory?id=8987541&page=2


Something is very very wrong with this picture.

[Journeyman]

3. A couple of quote marks would have helped make sense of that headline. . .

but I guess punctuation and grammar are outside the purview of ABC news. . .

[phasma ex machina]

4. The world's first troll wrote headlines for a living.

[truthisfreedom]

6. They're bent on creating conflict, which is the only thing that sells news.

Remember that every time you see a misleading headline... does it create conflict?

[joeycola]

7. What is wrong with it? He and Arne D. will be pushing their agenda

which includes Race to the Top.

[Beetwasher]

8. You're The Only One Who Doesn't See The Problem

At BEST it's awkwardly written. it's not Race to the Top, it's "Race to the Top". There's a big difference.

[joeycola]

11. more like

nitpicking is what I see your post as.

"At BEST it's awkwardly written. it's not Race to the Top, it's "Race to the Top". There's a big difference."

[Beetwasher]

12. So You're Nitipicking My Supposed Nitipicking???

I'd say that makes you pretty fucking pathetic.

English must not be your first language if you think the whole meaning of the headline is not changed by leaving out the quote marks.

[joeycola]

13. Have you seen quotation marks when headlines are about NCLB? just asking.

[Beetwasher]

15. That's The Stupidest Thing I've Ever Heard

NCLB is an acronym that doesn't change the meaning of a headline, jeenyus. You're trying very hard to look stupid aren't you? I sure hope that's what you're doing, I'd hate to think anyone really was that stupid.

[joeycola]

16. NCLB is a name of a program-yes, an acronym. Both are programs

and I do not see --and have not seen NCLB or No Child Left Behind --spelled out--put in quotation marks in a headline.
I am not looking stupid but you are being rude.

[Beetwasher]

17. If It Completely Changes The Meaning Of The Headline Without The Quotes

It's and editorial fuck up. It's not my problem that that concept is so difficult for you to grasp. You've never seen quotation marks in a headline??? They are there for a reason.

[joeycola]

18. I find your nonsense boring. bye.

[Beetwasher]

19. IOW, You Realize How Stupid You Look And You're Running Away

Instead of admitting you're wrong. Got it.

[No Elephants]

5. I hope something works. Our kids need to be competitive in the world--including in the USA.

[brentspeak]

9. Obama's plan to privatize the public school system

It's actually even more a corporate destruction of public education than Bush's No Child Left Behind.

[SammyWinstonJack]

14. What is his deal, anyway? What a disappointment.