RTTT: Picking The Finalist States

Looking ahead to this week's anticipated announcement of RTTT Round One finalists, Tom Carroll of the Foundation for Education Reform and Accountability reviewed state applications and declared that Florida, Louisiana, and Tennessee have the best applications (Who's Winning the Race to the Top?).  Delaware, Colorado, and Michigan are the 2nd tier: 

"In total, awards to these seven states would allocate almost half of the $4 billion in Race to the Top dollars, leaving about $2 billion unspent—giving states like New York and California another chance to adopt reforms in time for the June 1 second-round deadline. These states would do well to learn from the Round One winners."

(Via @asmarick.) 

Comments

[Kimmy]

I was struck by how many of these things Texas does... and how little difference it's made in the overall quality of education in this state. Support of TFA? We worship at the altar of TFA. Check. Unimpeded charter school expansion without rhyme or reason? Check. Testing out of the yazoo, long before it was required nationally? Check. An odd value-added measure? Yep. Allowing kids to leaving failing schools? Check. The largest teacher incentive program in the nation? Check.

None of these things have raised the bar on academic performance in Texas in any significant way. They're gimmicks.

[Jennifer]

Georgia is also in the 2nd tier.

[alexander]

thanks, jennifer -- my mistake. good catch. are you on twitter or blogging these days?

[Nick]

I'm not following the comment by Kimmy: Texas is notably absent from applicants for RTTT grants.