State falls short in Race to the Top

Well, in a not-s0-surprising announcement by Education Secretary Arne Duncan yesterday, it was revealed that Mississippi didn't make the cut for Race to the Top Funds. Some would say that Mississippi is not progressive enough to institute the reforms that Race to the Top funding would require, as suggested by the Clarion Ledger. It seems odd to me that states are being denied Race to the Top money because they aren't "progressive enough". It doesn't make sense that some of the states that need the most help when it comes to education are being cut. Kentucky is a finalist, but as one critic points out in the WSJ , some people are upset about this inclusion because Kentucky isn't progressive enough to embrace charter schools. It makes me wonder the way that the money is being siphoned down to only certain states.

Regardless of how progressive we are in Mississippi, one thing is for certain and that is that we are wary of reforms that would link salaries to test scores. While the MS DOE may be moaning about not becoming a finalist for Race to the Top, many are heaving a sigh of relief.

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?

About my blog

Welcome to my new blog where I will be discussing issues related to education policy in K-12 classrooms throughout my home state of Mississippi and the nation as a whole. Coming from a long line of Mississippi educators, I believe that education is our greatest investment and that a free and sound education is one of our fundamental rights as citizens of the United States.

First of all, a little note about myself. I am going to be that little old lady who buys everybody books for birthdays, Christmas, Valentines Day, and Arbor Day simply because I think everybody should have a healthy supply of literature. As you can probably tell, I am an English major about to begin my final undergraduate year at Mississippi State University. I became interested in education policy when I began working as a student researcher at the John C. Stennis Institute of Government on campus. I like to see how the policies implemented by our legislature and local school boards are affecting all the brilliant young minds around me. Sadly though, many of our children in Mississippi are not given the attention and the opportunities they deserve, and it pains me to see an entire generation idolizing Lebron James and Hannah Montana rather than Huckleberry Finn and Nancy Drew.

I decided to give my blog the title “Marginalia” because I feel that the marginalia blotted on the tiny space between the text and the edge of the page is where education begins- those sparks of ideas in the margins of the textbook that stem from the mind of the student, not just reiterations of the opinion of the author. No, education begins when the pupil starts to think beyond what he/she has just been told and apply it. Also, I thought marginalia would reflect my research style of printing pages and pages of articles and scribbling all over them. This blog will largely consist of my thoughts and reactions to these articles and pieces of legislation which I will often link or cite. Fair Warning: as an English major, I may be tempted to throw in some quotes or poems when I feel they are appropriate and illustrative.

Anyway, I hope that you enjoy reading this blog as much as I will enjoy writing it.