Oregon's draft "Race to the Top" Proposal is Not Competitive

The draft of Oregon’s application for the Obama adminstration’s $4.3 billion “Race to the Top” funds is out and online (here). Betsy Hammond reports on it in her Oregonian article “State enters ‘Race to the Top.’” (here, different headline online) I’ve skimmed over the four parts of the draft. Hammond is right in pointing out it is dense with educational jargon.

My initial thought are two: (1) as drafted, IMHO, Oregon’s proposal has little chance of bringing funding into the state. Nationally, only eight to ten states will be funded. Oregon’s proposals for performance pay for teachers and for turning around under performing schools, two critical components, are neither innovative nor rigorous enough to be competitive. And (2) there is nothing else innovative in the proposal. No accelerated growth of online education. No invigoration of foreign language programs nor the creation of a Go Global High School Study Abroad Program. Nothing new. Nothing different.

I did note the proposal “for the PK-20 system to enact proficiency based instruction.” This sound new, but I have no real idea what it means.

From Hammond’s article:

The draft recommendations, which are buried in pages education jargon, include:

• Develop performance pay for teachers and principals based on whether the schoolwide team raises student achievement.

• Shake up the entire faculties at the 60 worst performing schools in Oregon.

• Make sure students are constantly informed how their classroom performance stacks up against grade-level benchmarks.

This proposal is not competitive. But it gets worse, as Hammond writes:

But architects of Oregon's plan say they will proceed with the ideas -- albeit more slowly -- even if Oregon doesn't win the coveted federal dollars.

"This is work that is going to create the blueprint for Oregon for the next decade whether or not we get any of this federal money," says Redmond Superintendent Vickie Fleming, who was chosen to head the state's design team.

Oregon needs to do more for its underperforming schools and teachers. Oregon needs to accelerate the use of online education, and Oregon needs to develop 21^st century foreign language programs, including a Go Global High School Study Abroad Program.

Please don’t limit Oregon’s educational future to this proposal. Oregon needs to do better.

 

Comments

[christian louboutin shoes]

The draft of Oregon’s application for the Obama adminstration’s $4.3 billion “Race to the Top” funds is out and online (here). Betsy Hammond reports on it in her Oregonian article “State enters ‘Race to the Top.’” (here, different headline online) I’ve skimmed over the four parts of the draft. Hammond is right in pointing out it is dense with educational jargon.

[pandora]

regon needs to do more for its underperforming schools and teachers. Oregon needs to accelerate the use of online education, and Oregon needs to develop 21st century foreign language programs, including a Go Global High School Study Abroad Program.

[christian louboutin sale]

Develop performance pay for teachers and principals based on whether the schoolwide team raises student achievement.

[louboutin]

This is work that is going to create the blueprint for Oregon for the next decade whether or not we get any of this federal money," says Redmond Superintendent Vickie Fleming, who was chosen to head the state's design team.

[christian louboutin sale]

But architects of Oregon's plan say they will proceed with the ideas -- albeit more slowly -- even if Oregon doesn't win the coveted federal dollars.