InfoAnda - Criticisms, Praise Welcome Shortlist For $4 Billion "Race To The Top" Program

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Home U.S. World Entertainment Sports Business Health Science Technology Politics Offbeat Environment Travel News Articles Criticisms, Praise Welcome Shortlist For $4 Billion "Race To The Top" Program Email Facebook Digg Twitter Buzz Up! ShareThis March 5, 2010 3:34 p.m. EST Topics: government, politics, government departments, education, school, United States Kris Alingod - AHN Contributor Washington, DC, United States (AHN) - The Obama administration has announced its shortlist for the $4.3 billion "Race to the Top" program, prompting critics to renew arguments against reforms schools need to make to qualify for grants. The administration's intent to reform schools is also being questioned because of the number of finalists. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia were shortlisted in the competition for stimulus funds among 41 applications. They were chosen for their record of undertaking reforms and for their plans to raise caps or change laws prohibiting charter schools, to support merit pay and to use student test scores to evaluate teachers. The grants are part of $100 billion set aside for education in the administration's stimulus, or $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. They will be awarded in April after states formally make their case before the same panel that reviewed their applications. A second round of grants for which non-finalists may re-apply will be released in September. Facing record deficits and having fiercely competed for the funds, states welcomed the announcement. "This unprecedented opportunity will strengthen our students, our teachers and our schools," said Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. "In these tough economic times, we are working harder than ever to bring federal money home to Illinois," said Gov. Pat Quinn. But the program, already tainted as part of the controversial stimulus, has failed to satisfy critics. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who previously rejected stimulus funds for unemployment, has refused to participate, citing costs of reforms and Washington's "coercion of states" to end local curriculum standards. Andy Smarick of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute on Thursday called the shortlist a "major disappointment." He questioned why several states were included, including Kentucky, which has no charter law. "The U.S. Department of Education had the opportunity today to send a clear signal -- that the Race to the Top is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, that only the biggest and boldest plans would merit consideration," he blogged. "Instead, the administration accepted... nearly 1/3 of all applicants-as finalists." "By sending forward a number of states with such glaring deficiencies, the Department did not set a 'very, very high bar,' " added Smarick, a former White House education aide and deputy assistant secretary at the Education Department. Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post also blogged, "The whole notion of this administration making its education initiative a kind of race where states compete for funds is counter to the desired goal of providing equal resources to children in all public schools." She cited concerns raised by scholars that the reforms being pushed under the program, such as using student scores to determine teacher performance, have not been proven to be successful by research. Race to the Top was criticized last year for its focus on charter schools and student achievement to measure teacher performance. The Education Department later put less emphasis on the use of test scores and the expansion of charter schools. Final rules called for "multiple measures" to evaluate teachers "including a strong emphasis on the growth in achievement of students." The changes had assuaged teachers but not charter advocates. The Center for Education Reform, a D.C.-based non-profit that promotes charter schools, had accused the administration of "diluting" the rules. The American Federation of Teachers on Thursday praised the program, saying "[its] goal is a good one: to spark smart and sustainable improvements in public education, particularly for struggling schools and struggling students." But the federation pointed out the shortlist "includes states that took to heart the need for true collaboration among all stakeholders... [and] states that could have-and should have-done better." The Obama administration has set the ambitious goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. It has insisted that education, healthcare reform and energy independence have to be addressed so the nation's economy can get back on track. The finalists for the first phase of Race to the Top are: Colorado Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Illinois Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts New York North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina Tennessee Copyright © 2003 - 2010 AHN - All rights reserved.Redistribution, republication. syndication, rewriting or broadcast is prohibited without the prior written consent of AHN.License AHN news for your website, business, digital signage network or publication. 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