Texas education head warns of 'federal takeover'

[sonias]

AAS 12/03/09
Texas education head warns of 'federal takeover'
Embrace of 'common standards' by Obama administration is first step to losing local control, Scott says.

Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott said Wednesday that the Obama administration is marching toward a federal takeover of the nation's public schools — and Texas should fight it.

The first step, he said, is an effort to develop common math and English curriculum standards that is being led by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.

Participation in the ongoing common standards effort is part of the criteria for a $4 billion federal grant program called Race to the Top.

Texas and Alaska are the only states not participating in the common standards effort. Scott said Texas is already ahead of the other states in developing tough standards.

The U.S. Education Department appears to be "placing its desire for a federal takeover of public education above the interests of the 4.7 million schoolchildren in the state of Texas by setting two different starting lines — one for nearly every other state in the country and one for Texas," Scott wrote last week in a letter to the state's congressional delegation.

"Because Texas has chosen to preserve its sovereign authority to determine what is appropriate for Texas children to learn in its public schools," said Scott, "the state is now placed at a serious disadvantage in competing for its share of (the grant money)."

Alaska and Texas chose not to participate, yet they want "their share" of the grant money. The Race to the Top is a discretionary, competitive grant program but Scott is choosing to whine about it.

Another right wing nutbag with their nickers in a knot. The sky is falling, Obama is a socialist... blah, blah, blah....

:rofl:

Sonia

[onestepforward]

1. Good grief.

Texas doesn't want to participate, yet wants the funds. Yet again, partisan politics (just say "NO!" to everything Obama) prevail over the good of Texans. Dumb asses.

[sonias]

2. Lloyd Doggett on the issue

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, said Texas' refusal to work with the other states on the common standards initiative does a disservice to the state's students.

"Other states want to race to the top, but Gov. Perry remains determined to pursue an ideologically driven race to the bottom," Doggett said.

Perry remains determined to pursue an ideologically driven race to the bottom Well said Congressman Doggett!

:thumbsup:

Sonia

[Aragorn]

3. as always

thanks for posting this. I suppose if kids are indoctrinated rather than educated, it helps the GOP more than the democrats. That's clearly true in the rural town where I have lived for 12 years.

The Texas town I grew up in had a university, with students/faculty/staff well over 25% of the population. 'Course that was over 30 years ago (HS graduation date).

Anyone know the specifics of what Texas is whining about? That is a lazy question I realize; I may try to find it tomorrow.

[sonias]

4. "local control" is right wing code for indoctrinating kids

If Texas had their way - their idea of local control would still include segregation.

The specifics are detailed at the Race to the Top fund site:

ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html
Program Type: Discretionary/Competitive Grants

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.

Listen for the code in Bobby Scotty's quote

"Because Texas has chosen to preserve its sovereign authority to determine what is appropriate for Texas children to learn in its public schools," said Scott, "the state is now placed at a serious disadvantage in competing for its share of (the grant money)."

"Sovereign authority, appropriate for Texas children..." And you know what he means - no accurate sex education, abstinence only programs, and swearing allegiance to God at every opportunity.

As G.W. once said in a fucked up Freudian slip - "Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?" :eyes:

Sonia

[sonias]

5. Race to the Bottom Line

Texas Tribune 12/11/09
Race to the Bottom Line
For a state seeking $350 million to $700 million in federal education money, Texas sure has a funny way of going about it.

While state administrators have spent countless hours applying for the “Race to the Top” funds, their bosses, all the way up to Governor Rick Perry, have openly trashed the rules of the program. In particular, they have attacked a requirement that states sign on to a national standards movement, which Texas refuses to do.

(snip)
It would be easy to write off such comments as campaign grandstanding. And the state’s objections are surprising, at the least, in their open hostility to the keepers of state officials still insist they want. So why keep poking Washington in the chest?

“It’s politics. They need to decide if they want to apply for the money or not,” said Bill Hammond, president of the Texas Association of Business. “I think there could be some real economies of scale in national standards over the long term … I mean, Texas history is one thing, but algebra is the same all over.”

(snip)
The anti-federal rhetoric strikes a certain irony: The Washington strategy in many ways mirrors Austin’s top-down management of curriculum in school districts across a nation-sized state. The State Board of Education and the Texas Education Agency has controlled curriculum tightly for decades, handing down standards and textbook adoption to districts, with relatively little leeway.

Nice summary of the state of education in Texas. The "certain irony" line in the story above, of course means "hypocrisy" to me. There's another good link in the story to an earlier TX Tribune story on Texas - Reading Exams Fail the National Test from October of this year. Oh we got "high education standards" in Texas. Yeah, right!

Sonia