Tensions Flare in Race to Top's Second Round
States, Teachers’ Unions Clash Over Contest-Driven Reforms
But in doing so, states from Massachusetts to Colorado are tangling with their teachers’ unions as they test how far they can go to meet federal officials’ demands that they be aggressive, yet inclusive, in devising a road map to dramatically improve student achievement.With the second-round deadline for federal Race to the Top Fund grants less than six weeks away, states are rushing to raise the stakes on their education reform plans as they fight over the remaining $3.4 billion in prize money.
“On one hand, the federal government is saying, ‘Be bold,’ which implies significant challenge to the status quo, which then tends to be disruptive and generate resistance,” said S. Paul Reville, the education secretary in Massachusetts, where the American Federation of Teachers affiliate has revoked its support of the state’s second-round application over teacher issues. “Yet at the same time, the federal government is asking us to get full [district and union] support,” he said. “That’s the dynamic tension.”In Florida, legislation that would have revamped teacher evaluations, potentially positioning the state for a better Race to the Top score, sparked an outcry from teachers; Republican Gov. Charlie Crist ended up vetoing the legislation.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist talks with Susan Beauchamp, a school counselor at Twin Lakes Academy Elementary School in Jacksonville, Fla. On a recent campaign stop for his U.S. Senate bid, a crowd of teachers and other education specialists thanked the governor for vetoing a bill that would have tied their pay to student test scores.
—Bob Mack/The Florida Times-Union/AP
In Maine, the National Education Association affiliate is urging local union leaders not to support the state’s application after lawmakers passed legislation allowing schools to use student achievement as a factor in teacher and principal evaluations.
And in Louisiana, pending legislation to link at least half a teacher’s evaluation to student test scores—a priority under the Race to the Top—has come under intense fire from the Louisiana Association of Educators, an NEA affiliate, which has turned to automated phone calls and newspaper ads to rally opposition.
Not securing district and union support has its dangers, since nearly 20 percent of the Race to the Top’s 500-point grading scale
hinges on such support. Still, relying too much on buy-in also has its dangers, said Timothy Daly, the president of the New Teacher Project, a New York City-based nonprofit group that helps urban districts train and hire teachers.
hinges on such support. Still, relying too much on buy-in also has its dangers, said Timothy Daly, the president of the New Teacher Project, a New York City-based nonprofit group that helps urban districts train and hire teachers.“It’s leading states to make bad decisions, to water down the content and get everyone to sign on,” he said. “And many states will end up sorry.”
