The Answer Sheet: obama and race to the top


Posted at 10:15 PM ET, 01/25/2011

Obama’s faulty education logic: What he said and failed to say
By Valerie Strauss
Someone should have told President Obama that there were important contradictions in the education portion of his State of the Union address before he delivered it to Congress.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:15 PM ET, 01/25/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Poverty, Poverty, Poverty | Tags:  education reform, no child left behind, obama, obama education initiative, obama education reform, obama race to the top, obama speech, obama state of the union, president obama, public school reform, public schools, race to the top, state of the union, state of the union speech

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/19/2011

The case against NCLB reauthorization
By Valerie Strauss
Here's an argument by someone other than Margaret Spellings against reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/19/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  edujobs, elementary and secondary education act, nclb, nclb reauthorization, no child left behind, obama and school reform, president obama, race to the top, reauthorization esea, school reforms

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 11/09/2010

Harvard’s strange ‘Strange Bedfellows’ education event
By Valerie Strauss
You might think, or at least I would, that a ticketed discussion at the Harvard University Institute of Politics on education would include people with different views. But with Michelle Rhee, Jeb Bush and John Podesta as the panel, the "discussion" will sound more like an echo chamber.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 11/09/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  School turnarounds/reform, School turnarounds/reform, School turnarounds/reform, School turnarounds/reform, School turnarounds/reform | Tags:  arne duncan, charter schools, education department, harvard, harvard university, institute of politics, iop, jeb bush, john podesta, margaret spellings, michelle rhee, no child left behind, obama education reform, president obama, race to the top, school reform

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 11/04/2010

Where Kline stands on education policy
By Valerie Strauss
The man expected to be the new chairman of the House's education committee has some strong opinions about policy: He immensely dislikes No Child Left Behindy, but wants the Disabilities Education Act fully funded.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 11/04/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Congress | Tags:  112th congress, IDEA, arne duncan, charter schools, congress, education committee, education policy, gop takeover, gop victory, house education and labor committee, john kline, midterm elections, nclb, no child left behind, president obama, race to the top, rep. john kline, republican victory, special ed, special education

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 08/11/2010

The problem with ‘Race to the Top’ is the race
By Valerie Strauss
Diana Senechal writes that President Obama is correct when he says we need to shake things up to improve the schools. The problem is that we are shaking up the wrong things.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 08/11/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  common core standards, diana senechal, obama and race to the top, obama and school reform, race to the top

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 06/04/2010

Florida’s Race to Top application: Not what it seems
By Valerie Strauss
No sooner had the deadline passed for the second round of applications from participating states in the Obama administration’s $4 billion Race to the Top contest than we learn that at least one bid isn’t quite what it seems.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 06/04/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Race to the Top | Tags:  arne duncan and race to the top, florida and race to the top, florida's rttt application, obama and race to the top, race to the top, school reform and obama, second round and race to the top

Posted at 12:00 PM ET, 05/27/2010

Postcards to Mrs. Obama: End high-stakes testing
By Valerie Strauss
Organizations opposed to high-stakes standardized tests are starting a postcard-writing campaign aimed at persuading First Lady Michelle Obama to "encourage" President Obama to end the use of high stakes tests. Lisa Guisbond of FairTest writes about the effort.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:00 PM ET, 05/27/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests | Tags:  FairTest, fairtest, high-stakes standardized tests, michelle obama and tests, mrs. obama and standardized tests, no child left behind, obama and nclb, obama and race to the top, postcard campaign, postcard campaign to mrs. obama, postcards to first lady, postcards to michelle obama, postcards to mrs. obama, race to the top, standardized tests, standardized tests and results, the problem with race to the top, time out for testing

Posted at 09:04 PM ET, 05/04/2010

Michigan high school wins Obama; five others get consolation prize
By Valerie Strauss
Kalamazoo Central High School in Michigan is the big winner in a contest that offered as its prize a commencement speech by President Obama, and five other finalists won't walk away empty-handed.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:04 PM ET, 05/04/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  High School, High School | Tags:  Kalamazoo Central High School, Kalamazoo school wins contest, President Obama, Race to the Top, commencement speech and Obama, high school

Posted at 08:30 AM ET, 04/21/2010

Race to Top winners chosen arbitrarily -- new report
By Valerie Strauss
A new report by an independent institute says that the first winners in President Obama's "Race to the Top" education funding competition were chosen through “arbitrary criteria," rather than through an objective process.

By Valerie Strauss  |  08:30 AM ET, 04/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Race to the Top, Race to the Top, Race to the Top | Tags:  RTTT criteria, Race to the Top, Race to the Top criteria, criteria for race to the top, education blueprint and obama, race to the top point system, report on race to the top, rttt point system, the blueprint, winners of Race to the Top

Posted at 10:30 PM ET, 04/19/2010

Maryland’s big education mistake
By Valerie Strauss
Education officials in state after state are moving to contort their elementary and secondary school systems to align with the priorities of Education Secretary Arne Duncan to win some of the $3 billion being dangled by the Obama administration in its Race to the Top competition. It is especially unfortunate to Maryland, a state with a well-regarded education system, promote reforms that include some that have no basis in research--or in common sense.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:30 PM ET, 04/19/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Race to the Top, Race to the Top | Tags:  Duncan and Race to the Top, Maryland Race to the Top proposal, Maryland schools, Obama and Race to the Top, Obama and schools, Race to the Top, performance pay and teachers, teacher pay, teacher pay for performance, teachers, value added models

Posted at 01:08 PM ET, 04/13/2010

Why Obama’s schools funding approach is upsetting educators
By Valerie Strauss
School superintendents across the country are becoming increasingly worried about the Obama administration's plans to turn new education funding into competitive grants, including for the government's main program for helping schools in high-poverty areas.

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:08 PM ET, 04/13/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Education Secretary Duncan, Education Secretary Duncan, Education Secretary Duncan | Tags:  No Child Left Behind, Obama and education, Obama and school reform, Obama's blueprint, President Obama, Race to the Top, education funding, funding for schools, school reform

Posted at 08:00 AM ET, 03/13/2010

Obama’s contradictions on education
By Valerie Strauss
President Obama has said repeatedly that his education goal is to make sure that every child has a quality education and the opportunity to graduate from college -- and he displayed his commitment to that by donating some of his Nobel Prize money to organizations that help underserved children get ready for college. But his education policies are guaranteed not to reach that goal.

By Valerie Strauss  |  08:00 AM ET, 03/13/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  No Child Left Behind, No Child Left Behind | Tags:  Arne Duncan, No Child Left Behind, President Obama, Race to the Top

Posted at 08:56 PM ET, 01/26/2010

Mr. Obama: Say this on education
By Valerie Strauss
Note to the White House: You haven’t yet called to ask me what President Obama should say about education in the State of the Union speech so I’ll save you the time. Here it is. This comes from Sam Chaltain, national director of the non-profit Forum for Education & Democracy, an oganization committed to advancing the democratic role of public education. Chaltain has been involved for years in educating young people to become engaged and democratic citizens. If Obama is planning to extol the virtues of his "Race to the Top" program, please reconsider. Chaltain has a better idea.

By Valerie Strauss  |  08:56 PM ET, 01/26/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Race to the Top, Race to the Top | Tags:  president obama, race to the top

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 01/26/2010

Obama's teleprompter
By Valerie Strauss
In the category of “some folks will find any and every stupid little thing with which to bash President Obama:” The commander in chief is being ridiculed by bloggers on the Internet over his use last week of a teleprompter when he went to an elementary school in Virginia to give a speech about his education program. Obama went to Graham Road Elementary School last week to talk about “Race to the Top,” and while he was there, to have a talk with sixth graders. The bloggers are accusing him of using the teleprompter to talk to the kids. Of course, any sixth grader who wasn’t there could figure out that that wasn’t what he did.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 01/26/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Race to the Top, Race to the Top, Race to the Top | Tags:  President Obama, Race to the Top

Posted at 12:42 PM ET, 01/19/2010

A question for President Obama
By Valerie Strauss
I wonder if President Obama realizes the very huge gap between his pre-election talk about education and the program that his administration is advancing now. Today Obama went to a Virginia school to announce $1.35 billion new funding for his “Race to the Top” initiative for improving the country’s public education system. The total price tag is expected to be $4.35 billion. This effort is the successor to president Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” program in ways more than just timing; the emphasis on standardized test scores that marked NCLB has been carried over into Race to the Top, and even, as some critics, made even more prominent. This is not at all the message that Obama as presidential candidate made repeatedly.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:42 PM ET, 01/19/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Education Secretary Duncan, Education Secretary Duncan, Education Secretary Duncan, Education Secretary Duncan, Education Secretary Duncan | Tags:  president obama, race to the top, standardized tests