$Race To The Top$

[dgriffin]

New York State is in the running for billions of federal dollars from the Recovery Act for a program called Race To The Top. The feds are attempting to incent states to reform their educational policies and schools, to find new and better ways to achieve excellence in education. This is another idea stolen from the Bush Administration, of course, then called No Child Left Behind. Teachers were furious with Mr. Bush for No Child, since it attempted to implement accountability, a very non-collectivist attitude.

This time around, accountability (which Mr. Obama evidently understands as Mr. Bush did as the only way to get results) in the guise of Race To the Top is fueled by $billions$ from the Recovery Act. Big Difference!! State administrators are scrambling for the dollars and offering to sell their liberal souls for the cash. The Feds are looking for signs of seriousness by states and it's thought the recent mass firing of an entire school staff of teachers in Rhode Island was related to that state's quest for RaceTop dollars.

I read through the Race To The Top FAQ produced by the US Education Department and excerpted a few items of interest. I wonder how many teachers are aware of these provisions.

From:
www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/faq.pdf

(My bolding, my comments in italics, my sarcasm.)

Race to the Top is a competitive grant program to encourage and reward States that are implementing significant reforms in the four education areas described in the ARRA: enhancing standards and assessments, improving the collection and use of data, increasing teacher effectiveness and achieving equity in teacher distribution, and turning around struggling schools.

At the time the State submits its application, there must not be any legal, statutory, or regulatory barriers at the State level to linking data on student achievement or student growth to teachers and principals for the purposes of teacher and principal evaluation.

J, M and Joseph, what will they think of next?!

States must commit to collecting and publicly reporting key pieces of data related to the four reform areas.

OMG! They're serious?

Because this work and collaboration are so important, States will earn points based on the extent to which the local union leaders in their participating LEAs, where applicable, have indicated their support for the LEA’s implementation of the State’s plan by signing the Memoranda of Understanding or other binding agreement between the States and the LEAs.

Who would have thought we'd live long enough to see this!

[dgriffin]

If you read the above post, I suppose it's unnecessary to point out that this program will accomplish the complete collection of data on every child in the United States. If you have been a parent of a school child in the last decade or so, you are aware of the voluminous amount of data your schools keep on each child. Academic records are a small part of the whole. And the whole .... all of it .... is going to Washington to be matched with your family's Census data. And your CVS purchases.

[clarencebunsen]

Careful Dave. Your posts could go on your "permanent record."

[dgriffin]

"They're everywhere, they're everywhere!"

[clarencebunsen]

I know Chicago has some tough schools but why do you suppose the Dept. of Education needs these?

www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=cb68cf9f3fa2fe18a83d1c3dee0039b2&tab=core&_cview=0

[dgriffin]

I'd get Mossbergs.

[dgriffin]

I can tell I'm getting old when I spend a portion of a Friday night reading New York State's application to Race To The Top federal bureaucrats.

Tracking of students and linking each to individual teachers, administrators and instructional units is a necessary part of the program each state has to agree to in order to secure all of that money. Here's how the NY State Education department answered the application question regarding access and use of State data: (emphasis mine)

New York State has a strong P-20 data vision. The state will track relevant data for all students throughout their lives from Pre-K to higher education and beyond, including other agencies (e.g., social services, department of labor). This longitudinal data system will provide complete, efficient and timely information to those who are responsible for ensuring New York’s students receive a world class education, promoting improved practice and decision-making at all levels of the education system.
usny.nysed.gov/rttt/docs/NYS_RTTT_VIandVII_SelectionCriteriaandCompetitionPriorities.pdf

So I guess, when collated with Census data, library borrowings and CVS Pharmacy data, one will see quite a complete picture!

[dgriffin]

I wonder if someday in the future NY State computers will somehow confute your education record and your car's inspection data and you'll get a letter saying your high school diploma has been rescinded because your catalytic converter is faulty. But your college grades were all raised by a letter, because your PCV valve needs replacement.

[dgriffin]

The state will track relevant data for all students throughout their lives from Pre-K to higher education and beyond, including other agencies (e.g., social services, department of labor).

Imagine needing assistance someday from the Department of Social Services and having a clerk look at her computer and tell you that they've been expecting you ever since you insisted on using only the brown colored crayon throughout your year in kindergarten.

[dgriffin]

Dear Sir or Madam,
Thank you for your mail-in application for a New York State Fishing License. While the normal fee for the license has been $22, we now have new and unique pricing for individuals. This policy is in line with New York State's long standing practice to rob from the rich and poor alike.

Our leading edge technology in Albany has scanned numerous data points of your life, including bank deposits, your income and that of spouse, friends and fishing buddies, your purchases at Gander Mountain Sports, Cabelas and LL Bean, your charitable giving, your guns list, and any instance of natural sciences coursework at the post-secondary level, including grades and comments by professors and, in your case, the department secretary. Such a complete view of you, the customer, has led us to determine that a fair price for your license this year should be $12,349.29. Recognizing, however, that you were recently charged $4,298.22 for renewal of a driver's license, and aware of your recent drug purchases at CVS indicating a terminal disease, and perhaps more acutely, apprised of facts your physician will be discussing with you next week, the Department of Environment Conservation has set a final fee for your fishing license of only $701 for what we expect to be only a few months use. May we take this opportunity to inform you of the benefits of including us in your will, while wishing you a happy and carefree life of fishing on the fine streams of New York State.

[clarencebunsen]

I think I read that book back in the 50's. It was set in the then far-off future, sometime in the mid-1980's. Winston Smith worked in the Ministry of Truth, very popular at the time. What was the name of it, I can't quite recall?

[dgriffin]

Actually, I enjoyed "This Perfect Day" more than "1984."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Perfect_Day

But like Winston, I was just thinking the other evening about whether our large screen TV was watching me.

And "Brave New World" never appealed to me.

[clarencebunsen]

Interesting. I never read "This Perfect Day." Reading the link you provided I don't understand how I missed it. That makes 6 (or maybe 7) I've added to my reading list this week and I haven't finished one.