President Barack Obama told the nation鈥檚 governors Monday that he would like to make funding for districts under Title I鈥攖he flagship program of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act鈥攃ontingent on states鈥� adoption of reading and math standards that prepare students for college or a career.
The proposal, which would be rolled into the administration鈥檚 still-emerging plan for reauthorization of the ESEA, would require states to either join with their counterparts in developing rigorous, common standards, or work with their institutions of higher education to set standards that would ensure high school graduates are ready to enter higher education or the workforce.
President Obama told governors gathered at the White House for the final portion of the National Governors Association鈥檚 winter meeting that there is an urgent need to beef up academic standards to ensure that students are ready to compete in a global economy.
In response to the accountability demands of the current version of the ESEA, the 8-year-old No Child Left Behind Act, 鈥渟ome states have upped their game,鈥� Mr. Obama said, specifically citing Massachusetts. Unfortunately, he added, 鈥渟ome states have actually done the opposite. 鈥� That may make those states look better relative to other states鈥� on the current law鈥檚 accountability metrics, he said, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 not going to help our students keep up with their global competitors.鈥�
Boost for Common Core
If adopted, the proposal would undoubtedly bolster momentum behind the , an effort by the NGA and the Council of Chief State School Officers, currently the highest-profile national effort to establish voluntary, higher, more uniform academic standards. So far, 48 states鈥攁ll but Alaska and Texas鈥攈ave signed on to the initiative.
Under the president鈥檚 proposal, states would not be compelled to sign on to the NGA-CCSSO initiative in order to get their Title I aid. Instead, states would be allowed to work with their own universities to craft their own higher standards.
That could prove a significant political safety valve at a time when some state legislators have voiced concern about federal intrusion into education policy鈥攁nd when 37 governorships will be on state ballots in the fall elections.
Still, the Obama administration has made it clear that states that work with others to develop college- and career-readiness standards would be given priority for competitive federal aid, including $4 billion in Race to the Top Fund grants, which will reward states for adopting certain education redesign priorities.
It is unclear from the proposal just who would judge whether a state鈥檚 standards meet the benchmark of 鈥渃ollege- and career-ready.鈥�
U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan told reporters after the White House meeting that college readiness could mean that students would not need to take remedial courses when they enroll in postsecondary education. He said that there is set of 鈥渂asic skills鈥� that indicates students are ready for a range of careers, but that the administration would work with states and other stakeholders to better define them. He gave no examples.
During the meeting with Mr. Obama, governors voiced 鈥渮ero鈥� concerns about federal intrusion into state business when it came to the Title I proposal, Secretary Duncan told reporters.
鈥淭his is being led by the governors,鈥� he said of the push for college-readiness standards. 鈥淲e have to educate our way to a better economy. All of the governors understand this.鈥�
But David Shreve, the senior education committee director for the National Conference of State Legislatures, based in Denver, criticized the proposal as federal overreaching and said there is no evidence that college- and career-readiness standards will lead to better student outcomes.
鈥淲e think it鈥檚 a mistake for the federal government to get involved in picking favorite strategies that have no credible basis in research,鈥� Mr. Shreve said. He added that it appears likely from the proposal that officials at the federal level are going to be determining whether the standards are adequate. That hasn鈥檛 worked well in the past, he said.
鈥淵ou鈥檇 think they鈥檇 have learned their lesson with NCLB,鈥� he said.
Signaled in Budget
The administration hinted at the proposal in its fiscal 2011 budget request for Title I grants for districts, which help pay for the education of disadvantaged students.
The program would be rebranded 鈥淐ollege and Career Ready Students鈥� and financed at $14.5 billion in fiscal 2011, not including money provided under the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the economic-stimulus program.
President Obama proposed level funding for Title I in fiscal 2011.
Some governors said after the White House meeting that they were still studying the proposal to make Title I money contingent on adopting college- and career-ready standards.
鈥淪ome of the people who spoke most glowingly about the president鈥檚 leadership on education were Republican governors,鈥� including Gov. Sonny Purdue of Georgia, said Gov. Martin O鈥橫alley of Maryland, a Democrat. 鈥淭here鈥檚 was a pretty broad consensus [on education]. ... There was none of the sort of parochial throw-down, 鈥楧on鈥檛 tell us what our standards should be.鈥� 鈥� Mr. O鈥橫alley said most governors are aware that their students are competing in a global economy and will need to be prepared accordingly.
But Gov. Jim Douglas of Vermont, a Republican and the chairman of the National Governors Association, said that while he understood that the nation needs to be more globally competitive, he was still studying the administration鈥檚 Title I proposal.
He stopped short of saying his state would definitely adopt the common-core standards being drafted by the NGA and the CCSSO. He also said he didn鈥檛 know yet just how many of the 48 states that signed on to the common-core initiative would, ultimately, ratify the proposed standards once they become final.
In response to questions, Gov. Douglas said that federalism will always be a concern when dealing with any state-federal issue.
鈥淥ur pitch ... on anything is flexibility,鈥� he said.
