The Obama administration is standing by its signature education reform initiative, the Race to the Top program, and the policies wrapped up in that competition鈥攅ven as the aggressive agenda continues to spark pushback, most recently from some civil rights groups.
Calling Race to the Top 鈥渢he single most important thing we鈥檝e done鈥� on education, President Barack Obama used a July 29 speech to make a forceful rebuttal to criticism of his efforts, including from members of his own party in Congress.
鈥淚 know there鈥檚 a concern that Race to the Top doesn鈥檛 do enough for minority kids, because the argument is, well, if there鈥檚 a competition, then somehow some states or some school districts will get more help than others,鈥� Mr. Obama told a meeting of the National Urban League. 鈥淟et me tell you, what鈥檚 not working for black kids and Hispanic kids and Native American kids across this country is the status quo. That鈥檚 what鈥檚 not working.鈥�
Days before the speech, several civil rights groups鈥攊ncluding the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Urban League鈥攃alled on U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to rework significant pieces of the administration鈥檚 K-12 agenda, including the Race to the Top. They said the competitive program rewards states that can afford to invest in grant applications, potentially leaving out many under-resourced schools that serve poor and minority children.
The groups also took issue with the administration鈥檚 prescription for intervening in the lowest-performing schools, which offers states a menu of potential remedies, including closing down a school and sending the students elsewhere. Nearly all the options require the removal of the school鈥檚 principal. And the groups objected to the administration鈥檚 emphasis on charter schools as a solution for urban education woes.
Since then, some of the civil rights groups have pledged support for the administration鈥檚 agenda and backed away from a that was released with little fanfare after a planned July 26 press conference was abruptly canceled. Instead, the groups met privately with Obama administration officials to talk about the framework, which is partly a critique of the Obama agenda and partly a set of recommendations.
Yet for some key members of Congress, questions about the administration鈥檚 agenda persist.
For instance, Rep. David R. Obey, D-Wis., the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, sought to scale back core White House priorities to help cover the cost of pending legislation to prevent teacher layoffs.
And Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, released a framework for turning around struggling schools that was critical of the administration鈥檚 approach, as outlined in the regulations for $3.5 billion in School Improvement Grants.
Some also have raised questions about whether there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the department鈥檚 favored turnaround models will be effective. (鈥淩estructuring Under NCLB Found Lacking,鈥� Dec. 16, 2009.)
Seizing Momentum
The president鈥檚 speech came just as the administration was announcing the 19 finalists in the second round of the Race to the Top competition, in which $3.4 billion in federal funds are up for grabs. All but four states took a shot at winning the grants in the two rounds.
In addition, the Education Department last week announced the districts, schools, and nonprofit organizations that are in the running to win a grant from the $650 million Investing in Innovation program, another federal competition designed to spark innovation at the local level. (鈥淏ig Players, Small Innovators Snare 鈥榠3' Cash,鈥� this issue.)
The day before Mr. Obama addressed the Urban League, Mr. Duncan offered an equally forceful defense of his agenda in a speech to the same organization, which was an early supporter of the civil rights groups鈥� framework.
He said those who think the Education Department is only investing in competitive programs, and not also in formula programs, are either 鈥渋ntentionally misleading or profoundly misinformed.鈥�
And to answer the civil rights groups鈥� call that he back off from his enthusiasm for charter schools, Mr. Duncan said: 鈥淪hould we stifle the growth of high-quality public charter schools? ... Absolutely not. Tens of thousands of minority parents are on waiting lists for these schools. ... To suggest that charters are bad for low-income and minority students is absolutely wrong.鈥�
Although the performance of individual charter schools varies widely, evidence is mixed on how the achievement of charter schools as a group compares with that of traditional public schools.
The secretary also announced the formation of a new commission that will examine fiscal equity among schools.
In Mr. Obama鈥檚 speech, the president focused mostly on the Race to the Top, which embodies many of the principles the administration wants to carry forward as Congress works to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
He made it clear that he doesn鈥檛 want to see wholesale changes to the Race to the Top program, which two congressional panels recently voted to extend for an additional year.
鈥淚鈥檒l continue to fight for Race to the Top with everything I鈥檝e got, including using a veto to prevent folks from watering it down,鈥� Mr. Obama said.
The president also explained his administration鈥檚 policies on teacher quality, which have called for states to link teacher performance to student-achievement data and overhaul evaluations, tenure, and retention decisions.
鈥淭he whole premise of Race to the Top is that teachers are the single most important factor in a child鈥檚 education from the moment they step into the classroom,鈥� Mr. Obama said.
Favorable Responses
The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, the founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a supporter of the newly released civil rights framework, said he was 鈥渧ery impressed with Obama鈥檚 speech鈥� and commitment to education. Mr. Jackson said he continues to support the framework that was released by the civil rights groups as 鈥渁 point of discussion.鈥� Observers who viewed the framework as a 鈥減rotest鈥� misunderstood its intentions, he said, noting that those who worked on it are Obama supporters.
鈥淚t was designed to be a sharing moment, not a challenging moment,鈥� Mr. Jackson said. For instance, while he agrees with President Obama that states need more rigorous academic standards, Mr. Jackson feels that there needs to be equal emphasis on ensuring students have access to supports, such as dental services and public transportation.
Another sponsor of the framework, Barbara Arnwine, the executive director of the Lawyers鈥� Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said the president鈥檚 speech was 鈥渆xcellent. 鈥� I think conceptually, in terms of what his objectives are, we鈥檙e not far apart.鈥� She also gave Mr. Duncan high marks for listening to the groups鈥� ideas.
Still, she continues to support the framework, which she also said was mischaracterized. While it may have included criticism, she said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 chockful of recommendations. It鈥檚 the recommendations that count.鈥�
Ms. Arnwine said the only part of the president鈥檚 speech that troubled her was his suggestion that the Race to the Top鈥檚 detractors are supporters of the 鈥渟tatus quo.鈥� She said the groups want to see changes that they believe will be effective for public schools, particularly for minority children.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, the president of the National Action Network, was listed on a press release as an early supporter of the framework. But Mr. Sharpton said after the president鈥檚 speech that the critical framework was 鈥減rematurely released鈥� and that the group is actually not a supporter.
Mr. Sharpton added that his group didn鈥檛 have 鈥渃oncerns鈥� about the president鈥檚 education agenda, but 鈥渜uestions,鈥� which were addressed in the July 26 meeting with administration officials.
In fact, Mr. Sharpton said of Mr. Obama鈥檚 remarks, 鈥淚 thought it was a great speech. I agree with [the president] ... I鈥檓 prepared to fight for a lot of what he鈥檚 saying.鈥�
Together with the NAACP and the Urban League, the National Action Network put out a statement saying they will 鈥渨ork cooperatively with the Obama administration and Education Secretary Arne Duncan on positive efforts to reform education.鈥� Unlike the National Action Network, the NAACP and the Urban League are still listed as signatories on the framework.
Other civil rights groups and education advocacy organizations applauded the speech as a thoughtful articulation of the administration鈥檚 K-12 agenda.
鈥淭he president came out swinging against the forces of the status quo,鈥� said Amy Wilkins, the vice president for government affairs and communications at the Education Trust, an organization in Washington that advocates for poor and minority children. 鈥淚t was clear, it was specific, and it was powerful. He put himself on the side of kids of color and low income. [The speech] was an unambiguous, full-throated defense of those kids.鈥�
And Joel I. Klein, the chancellor of the 1.1 million-student New York City public school system, said he expected that the speech would carry major moral and policy implications.
鈥淗e was clearly saying he鈥檚 going to stand behind these ideas,鈥� Mr. Klein said.
