by Brian
Today the drumbeat continued to have school districts in Washington sign the state application for The Race to the Top funds. In the Seattle Times, Brad Smith of the Washington Roundtable writes: "By making a strong show of support for Washington's application today,
districts increase their chances to receive additional funding for
reforms they will need to implement tomorrow."
A Tacoma News Tribune editorial writer encouraged districts to sign the RTTT application, and applauded the Peninsula School District, saying: "So don’t count Peninsula among the districts that can’t be bothered to
accept a check for improving their instruction."
But the Columbian struck a different tone in their editorial: In our view: 'Race to the Trough'? They quote La Center Superintendent Mark Mansell as saying, “Any time you chase money
and not an idea, it’s not meaningful change. It has no real impact.
That’s the thing that makes me really, really upset about this. We’re
chasing after the money.”
The application that a district signs has lines for four signatures: the Superintendent's; the School Board's; the Principals'; and the local Association President. Here are the four areas of reform they are agreeing to by signing:
- 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.
That means Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2 for every student. It means more mandated testing. It means merit pay (see Tom's post). And it means using one of the following strategies for low-achieving schools:
- Turnaround Model: Replace the principal, screen
existing school staff, and rehire no more than half the teachers; adopt a
new governance structure; and improve the school through curriculum
reform, professional development, extending learning time, and other
strategies.
- Restart Model: Convert a school or close it and
re-open it as a charter school or under an education management
organization. - School Closure: Close the school and send the
students to higher-achieving schools in the district. - Transformation Model: Replace the principal and
improve the school through comprehensive curriculum reform, professional
development, extending learning time, and other strategies.
Charter schools have not been popular with our voters, but my favorite is close the school. Where is the district that has so much space they can just close a school?
My superintendent signed; my school board signed; our principals signed. They said they didn't like it, but they signed. I am proud to say that the president of my local, the Sequim Education Association, did not sign.
I didn't coin this phrase, but I agree with it: Sometimes the money costs too much.
What is your district doing? What is your association doing?
I have mixed feelings about this. I disagree with how the money is being handed out and the strings that are attached to it.
On the other hand, I’m pragmatic. I’ve never let the perfect be the enemy of the good, and when it comes to education, money is good, even when it comes with strings. My typical approach to grant money (which is what this is) is: get it by jumping through the hoops and then spend it as practically as you can without getting nto too much trouble from the people who gave it to you.
I’m in a small, high-performing district. There was never any serious consideration of signing on for RTTT. I haven’t heard it before, but I agree – the money costs too much. The focus and the strategies are at best, overvalued, and at worst, completely misguided.
Nothing, so far as I know. But I’m glad someone has had the guts to call out the money chase. I do believe that more money is needed to fix what ails our schools, but in this case, the strings attached to the money are not the fix that I think will produce meaningful, lasting change. Cut my district a check and say “we trust you to use it how your learners need it most, then show us the results as you see fit…”
I applaud the districts, states, with the guts to say “thanks but no thanks” on this one.