The $4 Billion Race to the Top Fund has been developed by the Department of Education to help states engage in educational reform and school improvement. The goal is to:
1) close achievement gaps; 2) increase high school graduation rates, 3) make improvements in student achievement, and 4) better prepare students for college and beyond.
Race to the Top grants are competitive, in that states must apply, and grants will be awarded to those who have created conditions for reform and plans to increase student achievement.
However, there are some concerns that I think are worth mentioning. For instance, Race to the Top links teacher evaluation with students' standardized test scores. The theory is that holding teachers accountable for gains in students' test scores will motivate teachers to work on professional growth. However, there is little evidence to support this hypothesis. While I support Race to the Top and its efforts to promote teacher effectiveness, I still much question the notion of using students' test scores as a measuring stick.
A second caution is that for a policy that promotes research-based educational practices, little research was involved in policy development and decision-making. While research in the educational policymaking area is not as vast as within other areas, one has to wonder why such research was not consulted during the policymaking process.
One cannot ignore the conflicting and contradictory messages of the current administration and it's confused Department of Education that seems to say "Don't Teach to the Test" but wants to tie teacher pay to student performance on the same tests.
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