June 14, 2012

RttT – District: Pushing Widespread Education Reform

Jun. 14, 2012 at 08:07 AM | By Todd Bloom | Comment Count

A few weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Education announced another round of Race to the Top (RttT) funding, this time targeting school districts rather than states. Winning funding requires district effort towards common elements of the federal reform agenda:

Teacher and principal effectiveness
Turning around low performing schools
Improving data quality
Improving standards and assessments

But there is a twist as RttT - District, has a decidedly new emphasis on both superintendent and school board effectiveness and college planning and success.

RttT ties effectiveness to student outcomes and student progress, tracking them from pre-school through K-12 and post-secondary education. The latter requirement is significant in that it asks school districts to keep data on student outcomes into post-secondary institutions, a challenge that has only begun to be addressed in any reliable way, for example with the National Student Clearing House.

Additionally, RttT - District awardees must explain how they plan to deliver college- and career-readiness by doing a better job of individualizing instruction for all students so that they graduate college- and career-ready. The Department of Education (DOE) indicates that Districts could use personalized learning plans and offer extra support to students through technology to accomplish this requirement.

How does this round of RttT fit into the educational policy and political context?

With reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (formerly referred to as “No Child Left Behind”) stalled in Congress, the Obama administration is pursuing education reform via RttT and other programs. The state, early childhood, and, now, District RttT competitions have shifted the policy conversation in significant ways:

From educator and leader quality to effectiveness.
From school improvement activities to results.
From individual state-by-state expectations and assessments to national expectations and assessments.

Most experts agree that ESEA reauthorization is at least a year away. Until then, the Department of Education is wielding strong incentive programs (RttT and the School Improvement Grants) to push widespread education reform.