The impact of IMPACT and what a Race to the Top Grant could mean for MS

Much to the dismay of local teacher’s unions, 165 teachers in the District of Columbia now face unemployment after a harsh round of firings attributed to poor student performance was announced Friday by Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Another 737 teachers could lose their jobs next year if they do not improve their rating of “minimally effective.” These new ratings are part of IMPACT, a four million dollar evaluation system that was implemented by Rhee last year to assess the effectiveness of DC area teachers. IMPACT not only looks at the student test scores, but requires teachers to undergo the scrutiny of classroom observation by hired, third-party “master educators.”

The Washington Teachers’ Union is up in arms about this new policy and the recent firings which many consider too harsh. Union members want to be rewarded for achievements but not punished for under-performance --- as evidenced by the fact that the union approved preferential salary increases for teachers whose students have high tests scores, rather than the more traditional qualification of seniority.

The recent uproar in the DC schools is just a taste of what educators can expect if policy makers continue down this slippery slope of linking teacher salaries to student achievement, which is very similar to what is suggested by the Obama administration’s Race to the Top initiative.

Race to the Top is a competitive grant program, which is essentially an assessment program. According to the Department of Education’s website, the assessments instituted by the Race to the Top Program “are intended to play a critical role in educational systems; provide administrators, educators, parents, and students with the data and information needed to continuously improve teaching and learning; and help meet the President's goal of restoring, by 2020, the nation's position as the world leader in college graduates.”

Because Race to the Top is not a comprehensive program intended to benefit all fifty states equally, states are forced to compete against each other as they apply for these grants. The State of Mississippi missed the initial deadline on their application for Race to the Top funds which was January 19. Mississippi’s application boasts that the department has garnered the support of 93% of the LEA (local educational agencies), and doing this caused the delay in our application. States who did not submit by the Round 1 deadline would are not penalized, they just forfeit suggestions by the DOE for a better shot at Round 2. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour did, however, sign and submit the application for Round 2 by the June 1^st deadline. Only four states including Alaska, Texas, North Dakota, and Vermont have opted not to apply for a Race to the Top monies. In a year where 34 states face state budget reductions in education, the Race to the Top grants are just too enticing to turn down.

But even with the overwhelming majority of states competing for these grants, there is still a lot of skepticism in the education community. In March, the NEA Convention gave the Race to the Top initiative a vote of “no confidence”. Even Congress is getting a little guarded with Rep. David Obey’s (D-WI) introduction of the Supplemental Appropriations Act (HR4899) which would redirect funds away from Race to the Top to create another fund that would protect jobs in education. I’m sure the Washington Teacher’s Union would be in favor of a little job protection right about now.

If student achievement becomes the more accepted method of reviewing teacher performance in regard to raises and even employment, this could be a major problem for Mississippi educators. A key strategy identified in the Mississippi Department of Education’s five year strategic plan is to “increase the quantity and quality of teachers and administrators”. The question then becomes, will the state resort to the same measures that Chancellor Michelle Rhee has taken in the District of Columbia? With some Mississippi districts already facing conservatorships and consolidations and many more ranked as “At Risk of Failing” or worse, what is going to happen when the first round of test scores are published that fail, once again to make the grade?