Education

So ANYTHING that happened HAD to be Bi-Partisan to GET passed. What I see when I review "Race to the Top" is at least part of the criteria is to provide teachers support as well. AND whereas NCLB was a non-funded mandate, at least Race 2 the Top had a budget. STILL not what is truly needed and YES we need to make sure the TARGET on TEACHERS is removed. They are NOT the problem.

http://factleft.com/2012/01/31/the-myth-of-democratic-super-majority/


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_to_the_Top

Criteria for Funding

State applications for funding were scored on selection criteria worth a total of 500 points. In order of weight, the criteria were[1]:

Great Teachers and Leaders (138 total points)
Improving teacher and principal effectiveness based on performance (58 points)
Ensuring equitable distribution of effective teachers and principals (25 points)
Providing high-quality pathways for aspiring teachers and principals (21 points)
Providing effective support to teachers and principals (20 points)
Improving the effectiveness of teacher and principal preparation programs (14 points)
State Success Factors (125 total points)
Articulating State's education reform agenda and LEAs' participation in it (65 points)
Building strong statewide capacity to implement, scale up, and sustain proposed plans (30 points)
Demonstrating significant progress in raising achievement and closing gaps (30 points)
Standards and Assessments (70 total points)
Developing and adopting common standards (from the Common Core State Standards Initiative) (40 points)
Supporting the transition to enhanced standards and high-quality assessments (20 points)
Developing and implementing common, high-quality assessments (10 points)
General Selection Criteria (55 total points)
Ensuring successful conditions for high-performing charters and other innovative schools (40 points)
Making education funding a priority (10 points)
Demonstrating other significant reform conditions (5 points)
Turning Around the Lowest-Achieving Schools (50 total points)
Turning around the lowest-achieving schools (40 points)
Intervening in the lowest-achieving schools and LEAs (10 points)
Data Systems to Support Instruction (47 total points)
Fully implementing a statewide longitudinal data system (24 points)
Using data to improve instruction (18 points)
Accessing and using State data (5 points)