Education Secretary Says Future For Education Is Bright

By Linn Grubbstrom - Talk Radio News Service

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced Tuesday that 19 states remain as finalists for the $3.4 billion that are available in the second round of funding for the “Race to the Top” competition. 

“Race to the Top” is a competition aimed at bolstering the education system with funding, specifically targeting schools in low-income neighborhoods.

“We have 2,000 high schools that account for half of America’s drop outs [and] those 2000 high schools also produce 75% of drop outs from our nation’s minority community,” said Duncan in a speech at the National Press Club.

Duncan said that the competition is meant to increase funding to low-income schools in order to provide them with an opportunity to host well-educated and qualified teachers.

“We’re putting $4 billion dollars behind the bottom 5% of the schools,” Duncan said. “If it takes $10,000 or $15,000 or $20,000 to get a great science teacher to work in an under served community or a disadvantage community or Indian reservation, do it.”

According to Duncan, the 19 finalists in the reform are those with the boldest plans for the future. Together, with parents around the nation, teachers can change and improve educational opportunities for today’s students and future generations. 

“Every state that applied will benefit from this process of collaboratively creating a comprehensive education reform agenda,” said Duncan.

$600 Million In Education Grants Awarded To Delaware And Tennessee

Delaware and Tennessee school systems will receive hundreds of millions in Recovery Act funds after placing highly in "Race to the Top," the Obama administration's competition for education grants.

"These states received the two highest scores in the competition," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said during a conference call with reporters Monday. "They have written and passed new laws to support their policies and they have demonstrated the courage, capacity and commitment to turn their ideas into practices that can improve outcomes for students."

Delaware is slated to receive a grant for $100 million and Tennessee will receive $500 million. The two are the only states to receive funds after 40 states initially applied. 16 states qualified as finalists.

The competition is a two phase process. According to Duncan, $3.4 billion in grants will be awarded in the second round and states that did not make the initial cut will be allowed to re-apply.

Duncan, NYC Mayor Racing To Improve Nation's Educational System

By Laura Smith - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

While folks across the country are putting the finishing touches on Thanksgiving dinner preparations, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are working on bringing education reform to the table.

Duncan and Bloomberg met in Washington D.C. Wednesday to discuss the Obama administration's education reform program "Race to the Top," and how to get more out of America's schools.

Duncan said that communities across the nation are demanding better education for their children, and urged Americans to keep pushing very hard for change.

“What are we trying to do with Race to the Top?...We’re asking folks to make the kinds of changes that will last two, three, four years...We want the kind of fundamental changes that will last for two, three, four decades,” Duncan said.

Bloomberg blasted a 2008 law passed by the New York the State Legislature that forbids principals from evaluating teachers based on student achievement data.

“That’s like saying to hospitals: You can evaluate heart surgeons on any criteria you want. Just not patient survival rates. Thankfully, the law in New York is set to expire this June, but that isn’t enough,” Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg also listed six key educational reforms he'd like to see his state and others make, including paying higher salaries for high-performing teachers and principals, ending a layoff policy called “last-in, first out,” identifying and removing the lowest performing teachers and lifting restrictions on the growth of charter schools.

Education Secretary Unveils Plan To Have States Compete For School Funds

By Meagan Wiseley, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Education Secretary Arne Duncan unveiled the final application of nationwide education reform Thursday: a state by state competition for federal dollars in exchange for proof of improvements in a variety of educational categories.

"We will award grants to the states that have led the way in reform and will show the way for the rest of the country to follow," Duncan said in a statement released Thursday.

The $4.35 billion competition, called Race to the Top, was passed by Congress as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act last February.

Aside from the competitive aspect of the program, the amount of the grants awarded will be determined by a state's population of K-12th grade students. More populous states like California, New York and Texas could earn up to $700 million. Less populated states like New Mexico and Vermont stand to earn up to $75 million.

The program uses a 500 point system to determine the funds each state receives, with teacher and principal effectiveness amounting for 58 points alone.

“Race to the Top is absolutely a competition...We expect the winners to lead the way and blaze a new path for the future of school reform for years, and even decades, to come,” Duncan added.

President of the National Education Association (NEA), Dennis Van Roekel, applauded Duncan for putting the “spotlight on what needs to happen in our classrooms.” However, Van Roekel held some qualms over how teacher and principal effectiveness is measured.

“We are disappointed that the administration continues to focus so heavily on tying students’ test scores to individual teachers," Van Roekel said, adding that the evaluation “misses the mark.”