California's Opportunity to "Race to the Education Top"

In posts for January 13, April 7 and May 5 I discussed how California (and our local school districts) should take the opportunity during this difficult financial period to tap into the billions of dollars of federal stimulus funds available for two years to reshape our education system. In particular, California should do everything possible to compete for the additional $4.3 billion in discretionary "Race to the Top" stimulus education funds made available by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to transform K -12 education in order to compete with other countries in the 21st Century. Secretary Duncan has said, however, that in order for California to compete for some of the $4.3 billion, California lawmakers would have to repeal a controversial law that prohibits linking teacher evaluations to student performance.

Governor Schwarzenegger is doing the right thing this week in calling a special legislative session for lawmakers to consider repealing the prohibition linking teacher evaluations to student performance. Repeal will not be easy for the legislature, particularly the Democrats. The California Teachers Association (CTA), the powerful affiliate of the National Teacher Association, is not supportive of the change, and the Democrats are loathe to get sideways with the CTA.

While the case can be made that the issue of teacher evaluations should be determined at the local school district level and not be dictated by Sacramento or Washington, the proposed rollback of the current prohibition linking teacher evaluations to student performance would not by itself change the teacher evaluation process. (The current prohibition against teacher evaluation by students is highly unusual among the remaining 49 states.) What it would do is to permit California to develop an innovative educational plan (which does not necessarily have to be linked to teacher evaluation) for improving public school education, submit it to the federal government and hope that it is funded.

To not even be eligible to compete for the "Race to the Top" funds would send a horrible message to California taxpayers who so generously support (by their taxes) California public schools, but who have become more and more concerned about their effectiveness.

Coming Soon. . .

1). Three cheers for University High School.
2). Fresno's choices on high speed rail and rail consolidation.

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail.com.