Arizona has submitted their Race to the Top (RTTT) application to Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan. In hopes of receiving a one time grant of a few hundred million dollars, Arizona is willing to create new standardized tests for kindergartners, shut down more "failing" schools (which implies we have schools which fail... and are doing nothing about them), and replace our state mandated AIMS test with a new, shiny, nationally-mandated, standardized test.
Oh... and require that 50% of a teacher's job evaluation be tied to student scores on all of those tests.
Chuck Essigs lobbies for the Arizona Association for School Business Officials. He is a smart man, and someone who always does seem to be wanting what is best for schools. That is why I am confused by his quote:
"(Schools are) going to have to do most of it anyway, so why not get the extra money to do it."
Gee, Chuck. Don't you watch TV? Iraq. Afghanistan. CEO Pay. Health Care. Nothing has gone the way the administration said it would.
Nothing.
Why are schools the only ones not willing to push back against federal mandates?
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