Obama Vows, 'I'll ... Fight for Race to the Top with Everything I've Got'
Just two days after his administration announced phase 2 Race to the Top finalists, President Obama was on the defensive about the controversial reform program operated out of the United States Department of Education. Speaking Thursday at the National Urban League Centennial Conference in Washington, DC, Obama vowed he would fight to defend the program and would resort to using the veto, if necessary, to maintain its integrity.
Race to the Top is a federal program whose stated purpose is to drive reform in public education. It's designed to shape states' education policies by offering state governments part of a $4.35 billion pool to tackle some of the priorities of the current Department of Education, priorities that depend in no small part on continued, even expanded reliance on high-stakes testing, such as holding teachers accountable for their effectiveness in driving increases in measures of student achievement and encouraging states to develop programs to turn around "underperforming" schools, as well as developing new data systems for tracking progress.
The program has come under attack by organizations that have traditionally been advocates of education and have largely supported Democratic policies, including the 3.2 million-member National Education Association (NEA). NEA earlier this month gave the program a symbolic vote of "no confidence." The group also opposed extending funding for Race to the Top after the administration asked for another