Race To The Top is a FLOP

I chose to research Censored Story: #20 Obama's Charter School Policies Spread Segregation and Undermine Unions. What are President Obama's plans and views on education? Here is what he had to say at the State of The Union-

• The US cannot compete globally without an educated workforce; they tell us that America is falling behind in the economic global "race to the top".

• Obama’s Race to the Top contest has awarded only two states thus far, but has compelled nearly every state to alter its education code in anticipation of winning a piece of the several billion dollar federal aid package.- Before receiving the money it looks like schools need to spend...

• The Obama policy is also quite similar to Bush’s in its goals for the rapid expansion of charter school networks and nonprofit with for-profit providers to run them... "Race To The Top" is the rebranding name for "No Child Left Behind"-

• According to a survey conducted last fall by the school administrators’ association, nationally 6 percent of districts closed or consolidated schools for the 2009–10 school year, double the number from the 2008–09 school year. The ranks of public school closures are expected to grow to 11 percent for the 2010–11 school year

• Detroit opened twenty-nine fewer schools in fall 2009 and put many high schools under the control of private management groups "In Fight for Space, Educator Takes on Charter Chain"

• Charter schools are often accused of “cherry picking students” to build higher test scores, leaving low-income and difficult-to-teach students in inadequately funded public systems. One former high school teacher in the Latino community has hope.

• For states to be eligible for the $4.3 billion, they must show they are progressing toward meeting the four assurances. If they do not, then the states will not qualify for the funds and their political representatives will be forced to tell their constituencies that there are no monies for education and face the wrath of voters.

http://democracynow.org interviews Diane Ravitch, author of "The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education". Ravitch was Assistant Secretary of Education & Counselor to Education Secretary Lamar Alexander under President George H.W. Bush and appointed to the National Assessment Governing Board under President Clinton.

The interview starts about 2min and 10 seconds into the video-

Although Obama has said in the past that teachers should not be forced to spend the entire academic year preparing students to "fill in bubbles on standardized test" (Weinstein, 2009) it certainly seems that under the Obama administration programs like No Child Left Behind is here to stay...