Cloning controversial city programs key to state RTTT bid
Some of New York City’s signature educational programs — including its principal training academies and school-based teams that examine student data — could go statewide if New York wins nearly $700 million in Race to the Top funds.
The state is arguing in its Race to the Top application that it can accomplish Obama administration educational goals by replicating city programs around New York. That could be a smart strategy, as U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has called New York City a model for how the federal government should spend its education funds. But city programs the state wants to duplicate include some of its most controversial.
Here are some of the programs that could get cloned, along with the justification provided in the state’s Race to the Top application:
Leadership Academies:
The state is arguing in its Race to the Top application that it can accomplish Obama administration educational goals by replicating city programs around New York. That could be a smart strategy, as U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has called New York City a model for how the federal government should spend its education funds. But city programs the state wants to duplicate include some of its most controversial.
Here are some of the programs that could get cloned, along with the justification provided in the state’s Race to the Top application:
Leadership Academies:
New York will use $6 million in RTTT funds to replicate the successful Rochester and New York
Remainders: Schools spared in Gov’s emergency budget
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- In his first year, a teacher used to hear students whine, “I want to go home.” Now it’s not the norm.
- A troubled student-turned-journalist wonders if School of One could have helped him.
- Jay Mathews suggests an antidote to competition for celebrity graduation speakers: let teachers speak.
- A teacher says giving partial credit on a test is reasonable, the problem is when the test is politicized.
- Rick Hess says his fellow edu-reformers need to get over their fear of criticism and questioning.
- A Harvard professor says a recent conference about merit pay left him unconvinced about its power.
- New Jersey has jettisoned the idea of offering a teacher retirement incentive to save money.
- Formerly in charge of RttT, Joanne Weiss is moving up to become Duncan’s chief of staff.
- Detroit’s mayor has an uphill battle to win mayoral control partly because the city has already tried it.
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