RTTT: Backing Up The Truck

Defining low performing schools "entirely differently from how the ESEA does" is the mismatch between ARRA and RTTT that is going to have the most practical effect on how school reform works going forward.  But it's not the only example.  Russ Whitehurst flags several this excellent Ed Week commentary (Did Congress Authorize Race to the Top?). The unprecedented latitude Congress gave -- and Duncan took -- is one of the main reasons that I've been so critical and cautious about NCLB reauthorization prospects.  Congressional approval for things like charter cap removal (and performance pay, and prescriptive turnaround choices) would be extremely hard to come by.  RTTT is the product of a seemingly unique situation.  I don't think that the USDE is going to get the same carte blanche from Congress next time around. The big challenge for them is to figure out how to back up the RTTT truck to get back to something that could make it through reauthorization without undercutting themselves and the states that have already moved forward on RTTT.

Comments

[Claus]

That will be quite difficult, as RTTT has given all sorts of people an occasion to establish fairly arbitrary litmus tests for "reform." (Tying AT LEAST 50 percent of teacher evaluations to test results is just one example.)

It will be hard to back off from the rhetoric.

[Truck Rental]

Yeah..I completely agree with you Claus. It is looking to quite difficult..How is everything getting to be managed by using RTTT..It really needs full planning before going for anything..