Opportunity knocks for school reform
By Arne Duncan
To every governor who aspires to be his state's "education governor," this is your moment. Friday, President Obama announced the draft guidelines for applying for the $4.35 billion Race to the Top fund — by far the largest pot of discretionary funding for K-12 education reform in the history of the United States.
Since its inception in 1980, the U.S. Department of Education has traditionally been a compliance-driven agency with only modest discretionary funds available for reform and innovation. By contrast, the Race to the Top fund marks a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the federal government to create incentives for far-reaching improvement in our nation's schools. Indeed, the $4.35 billion available in Race to the Top easily outstrips the combined sum of discretionary funds for reform that all of my predecessors as education secretary had.
For states, school districts, nonprofits, unions and businesses, Race to the Top is the equivalent of education reform's moon shot — and the Obama administration is determined not to miss this opportunity. We will scrutinize state applications for a coordinated commitment to reform — and award grants on a competitive basis in two rounds, allowing first-round losers to make necessary changes and reapply.
What are we looking for? The president starts from the understanding that maintaining the status quo in our schools is unacceptable. America urgently needs to elevate the quality of K-12 schooling and boost college graduation rates, not simply to propel the economic recovery but also because students need stronger skills to compete in a global economy. As he has put it, "education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity and success — it's a prerequisite for success." Yet tragically, too many schools fail to prepare their students for college or the workforce.
Under Race to the Top guidelines, states seeking funds will be pressed to implement four core interconnected reforms.
The Race to the Top program marks a new federal partnership in education reform with states, districts and unions to accelerate change and boost achievement. Yet the program is also a competition through which states can increase or decrease their odds of winning federal support. For example, states that limit alternative routes to certification for teachers and principals, or cap the number of charter schools, will be at a competitive disadvantage. And states that explicitly prohibit linking data on achievement or student growth to principal and teacher evaluations will be ineligible for reform dollars until they change their laws.
Neither I nor the president is naive about reform. I served as superintendent of the Chicago Public Schools for seven years — and saw firsthand that the system often served the interests of adults better than it did its students. Still, I reject much of the pessimism and age-old apathy about school reform. I have visited 23 states in the past six months and have met countless students, teachers, parents and administrators who hunger for change. I have seen schools and districts that are closing achievement gaps, raising graduation rates and shipping off to college kids who never thought it possible.
Since President Obama took office, numerous states have adopted reforms that would have been almost unthinkable a year ago. Last spring, 46 states signed on to a state-led process to develop a common core of K-12 standards in language arts and math. At the same time, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Indiana, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Colorado and Illinois have lifted restrictions on charter school growth.
Despite the obstacles, I remain optimistic about America's capacity for transformational change. The edifice of education reform may take years to build. But the Race to the Top starts now.
