"As the federal government dangles a financial carrot to encourage school districts to commit to a series of education reforms, more than half of North County districts so far have decided not to bite.
That carrot ---- the Obama administration's so-called 'Race to the Top' program ---- comes with what some educators consider serious strings. To qualify for the money, states and school districts must agree to requirements such as using test data in teacher evaluations, giving parents more of a say in what school their child attends and financially rewarding high-performing teachers.
The California Department of Education, which is expecting as much as $700 million from the federal program, set a Jan. 8 deadline for school districts to sign a memorandum of understanding indicating they wanted in on the deal."
That carrot ---- the Obama administration's so-called 'Race to the Top' program ---- comes with what some educators consider serious strings. To qualify for the money, states and school districts must agree to requirements such as using test data in teacher evaluations, giving parents more of a say in what school their child attends and financially rewarding high-performing teachers.The California Department of Education, which is expecting as much as $700 million from the federal program, set a Jan. 8 deadline for school districts to sign a memorandum of understanding indicating they wanted in on the deal."