Here are excerpts from a Washington Post interview with President Obama on education and a $4.35 billion challenge grant fund.
On whether raising standards will cause some children to be left behind "Not if you're putting in the resources to make sure that they can achieve. We do a child no great service by setting a low bar that it appears they can meet until they graduate and can't find a job because they don't have the skills. . . . And what we want to do is raise standards, but also provide the kinds of best practices, with money behind it, that evidence shows allows every child to meet these standards."
On whether politics will influence consideration of applications from such states as Ohio or California "Politics won't come into play. And we've been very clear about that. . . . Now, keep in mind that we're also trying to encourage consensus building. So, for example, we're challenging school districts and teachers' unions to use the collective bargaining process as a catalyst for reform as opposed to an impediment for reform.
On teachers who believe it is unfair to be judged or paid, even in part, on the test scores of disadvantaged students "What I say is you're absolutely right it would be unfair if we set the same standard for kids in Anacostia and kids in Georgetown, and without any additional resources, any additional help, we penalized the kids who are much further behind and reward those who are coming out of middle-class homes and already doing well. The answer to that is, let's measure progress. That we can measure. So what we can say is that if a kid comes in and they gain two grade levels during the course of that single year, even if they're still a little behind the national average, that tells us that school is doing a good job. . . . I think teachers, understandably, in the past have been suspicious of reform measures that seem to make them into a scapegoat and don't take into account the extraordinary
challenges that they face day in, day out."
On charter schools "I think charters, which are within the public school system, force the kind of experimentation and innovation that helps to drive excellence in every other aspect of life. And I think that's a positive thing, as long as we are continuing to set high standards and are applying them consistently to these charter schools."
On the federal role in education "I just don't think about these things ideologically. I just want our kids to learn. We have a tradition of local school district control that I think is important to respect -- which is why this proposal is not a mandate. We're not forcing any local school district or any state to change its practices. But what we are saying is federal dollars need to be spent in ways that actually improve student achievement. And it's not just going to be based on politics."
And this video from the US Department of Education:
"RACE TO THE TOP" ANNOUNCEMENT
Originally broadcast live on Friday, July 24, 2009
President Obama joined US Secretary Arne Duncan in announcing the draft application for the $4.35 billion "Race to the Top" Fund.
This largest-ever federal investment in education reform will reward eligible states for past accomplishments and create incentives for future improvement in four critical areas of reform: adopting rigorous standards and assessments; recruiting and retaining effective teachers, especially in classrooms where they are needed most; turning around low-performing schools; and establishing data systems to track student achievement and teacher effectiveness.
Other speakers included
- Gene Wilhoit, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers;
- Jean Clements, president of the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association;
- Mike Feinberg, co-founder of the KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) Foundation and the Superintendent of KIPP Houston;
- Eric Smith, Commissioner of Education for the state of Florida; and
- Matthew Austin, a student at Washington D.C's Howard University Public Charter Middle School of Mathematics and Science.
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