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Raise the curtain.

Race to the Top?

By Wendy Day, Section News
Posted on Tue Jan 05, 2010 at 09:27:27 AM EST
Tags: education, common sense, Howell (all tags)

School Boards around the state will soon be voting on resolutions to support the effort to apply for funding from the Race to the Top grant program. This grant program was introduced by President Obama and represents a expansion of the Federal intrusion into education started by President Bush through No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

The K-12 education budget in Michigan counted on the Federal Government for about one percent of its budget just 10 years ago. In the last ten years, the funding has grown to account for 10% of the Michigan education budget, or $1.3 billion. Most teachers detest NCLB and it has not proven itself to be the magic bullet for student success that was promised.

Race to the Top is just another catchy named program with money attached. Read more....

Race to the Top is just another catchy named program with money attached. Only this time there are even more implications for education. While the Governor will sign into law today some good education reforms, you have to wonder why those reforms couldn't come outside of a promise for more Federal money. If the reforms are good, they are good. If they are needed, then make them. These reforms are not part of Race to the Top, they just pave the way to apply for the grant.

What concerns most folks who are paying attention to Race to the Top are the "international benchmarks" that are talked about in the grant. In order to receive the money, which would be about $140,000 for Howell, we have to agree to align our curriculum with international benchmarks. The only problem is that these benchmarks are not developed yet. They are being developed, supposedly, by a consortium of groups. Here is a link to their website: Core Standards Website. In their report the National Governor's Association, part of the consortium, develops a great case against the current American way of doing school. Unfortunately, their core solution is using International Benchmarks. Again, these benchmarks do not currently exist; but to go after RTTT funding, we must sign on to them.

Other states, including Florida, are using things like the United Nations International Baccalaureate program as a model for the curriculum and looking to the United Nations for further guidance of what is to come. The International Baccalaureate program has a very sophisticated name, and may have some merit in terms of curriculum intensity. But they also supported the Earth Charter, which is an unsophisticated attempt to sell world-wide socialism. Here is what the IB has to say about the charges that they are pushing a socialist agenda: IB RESPONSE. Here is what a watchdog group has to say about IB:EDWATCH. Another issue with IB is the cost. It is terribly expensive to implement IB. With only $140,000 to gain, the price for the unknown is just too high.

Education is a State and local issue. It was never suppose to be a Federal issue; and certainly isn't an International issue. So what do we need to fix our education system? What America has always relied on to improve our standard of living- competition. If we embrace competition in our educations system, many of our problems will disappear as failing schools disappear.

In these economic challenging times, it is going to be hard to turn down $140,000. But not doing so would be pennywise and pound foolish. We can't afford more Federal intrusion. We can't afford International Standards that are not even defined yet. We can't afford a curriculum heavily influenced by the United Nations. For these reasons, I will be voting NO tomorrow night. If you have input or feedback, please e-mail me at wjdayhome@sbcglobal.net. I look forward to hearing from you.

< In the MACKINAC CENTER Sphere Today | In the MACKINAC CENTER Sphere Today >

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Race to the Top? | 2 comments (2 topical, 0 hidden)

Race to the Top (none / 0) (#1)
by Rougman on Tue Jan 05, 2010 at 10:50:23 AM EST

Thank you Wendy for keeping an eye on this.

The local districts in Oscoda County have both decided to turn their noses up at the RTTT. Their reasoning is that they have no clue as to what they would even be signing up for.

The bureaucrats and educators who are blindly searching for this blessed money have no idea what strings will be attached either. In fact, the $400 million or so that Michigan is pining for might come with a price tag of $600 million or so in mandates. No one really knows.

Reforming schools is going to be no walk in the park, but it would be a lot easier if governments would make some basic changes. And, like you point out, RTTT is not necessary for these changes to take place.

Give local districts and parents control. Allow them to dispense with all the rules and regulations put in place by union minded legislators that do nothing but shackle districts with red tape and high expense. Allow them to tell Lansing to go screw itself when it tries to dictate newfangled regulations that do little but force schools into staffs top heavy with administration.

Allow districts to toss unruly students out into the street, and allow districts to toss ineffective teachers out into the street right along with them.

The most obvious point to this is that none of these legislators ever had to try and learn biology taught by Mrs. Ninelips while sitting in the same classroom as the Tornado Brothers. That trio probably cost me 3 points on my composite ACT score all by themselves not to mention the huge hit I took on my IQ. Lansing and Washington have, at least up until this point, not only ignored classrooms such as that one, but have even impeded the ability of districts to do much of anything about them. They are wise in that way.

I don't see RTTT changing this one whit.

Americans need to decide to get rid of the (none / 0) (#2)
by BruceB on Wed Jan 06, 2010 at 01:35:37 PM EST

federal Department of Education, State Department of Education, Intermediate School districts. Local residents must start taxing themselves, and relying on themselves, for the cost of running their local school systems. Local School Boards MUST start running local schools again. Parents, local school boards and the people living within the local school district know more about what their kids need to succeed than bureaucrats in Washington D.C., Russia, Uganda, etc. I am beginning to wonder if the bureaucrats in Washington and Lansing even care if our kids succeed. After all, who usually has their kids best interests in mind anyway? Answer, Parents! (and grandparents-I am a grandparent)

Race to the Top? | 2 comments (2 topical, 0 hidden)