School dazed
Race to the Top is on. But Texas isn’t at the starting line
"Across the country, states are passing laws, trying to whip their education systems into shape to compete for grants from a new federal program, Race to the Top, intended to reward educational innovation. Texas might have been able to win as much as $700 million for its cash-strapped schools. But we aren't at the starting line. In fact, we're unlacing our shoes.
It's especially strange because Race to the Top is intended to encourage states to reform their schools in ways that Texas pioneered. Standards-based testing? We've done it for years. Charter schools? We launched them before they were cool. Holding teachers and principals accountable for students' performance on those tests? Merit bonuses are nothing new for the Houston Independent School District. (If HISD could apply for Race to the Top money by itself, independent of Texas, its competitors would tremble.)"