A sorry history, for sure.
Heading into Friday’s IEA RA, let us review some of the history of our Association’s leadership.
Part one: Race to the Top
In 2009, appointed by Governor Quinn to head up a committee, IEA Executive Director Audrey Soglin led it in the creation of the Illinois Race to the Top application.
Arne Duncan had demanded that in exchange for roughly $400 million dollars, the application would have to include legislative action that would link individual teacher evaluation to student performance.
The legislature bowed to Duncan’s demands and Soglin’s proposal. Every district now has teacher evaluation tied to student performance as a mandatory part of all future bargaining.
But Duncan did not deliver on the money. Illinois received no Race to the Top award.
When I was finally recognized by Ken Swanson after waiting a long time at the microphone at the 2010 IEA RA
