Teachers' Union Expresses "No Confidence" in Race to the Top
The federal Race to the Top competition and North Carolina’s failure to acquire first-round funding has created quite a stir over the past couple of months. Many policymakers and advocacy groups have offered commentary on the competition, its merits, and what prevented North Carolina from being a first-round winner.
Last week, the National Educators Association (NEA) took their criticism of the federal initiative to a whole new level. Delegates to the National Education Association took a symbolic vote on July 4th to indicate a stance of "no confidence" in the Obama Administration’s Race to the Top guidelines. This new development causes some confusion for Race to the Top reviewers and the states that have made application.
As PEFNC reported in a column in the Raleigh News & Observer, the Race to the Top scoring rubric awards anywhere from 55-95 points for the signatures and "support from a broad group of stakeholders," including teachers' unions and school boards. Thus, a vote of "no confidence" has interesting implications on the outcome of the Race to the Top competition.
Whether or not you agree with the federal spending initiative, Race to the Top does at least require states to demonstrate innovation in education to receive the funds. It is a carrot to encourage state education systems to become more competitive and effective.
The position of the teachers' union is clear. They only want the carrot if it means doing things the same old way--a way that has produced a 58% graduation rate in North Carolina. Once again, the NEA and its attendant chapters are putting self-interest ahead of the interests of children.
Comments
Post new comment