(From The Worchester Telegram, May 26, 2010)
By CHARLES BARONE
Massachusetts missed out on $250 million in federal funds in March under President Obama’s “Race to the Top” (RttT) initiative. But the results, in which Massachusetts placed 13th out of the 16 states chosen as finalists and among 41 applicants overall, provide clear guidance about what the Bay State needs to do to reach the winners’ circle next time.
Round one demonstrated that federal officials are looking for systemic reforms that will impact student performance across the state school system, not just in isolated areas. With that in mind, first-round results, in which Delaware and Tennessee were the only states awarded grants, indicate that state officials should focus on charter schools, ongoing questions about whether to adopt proposed national academic standards, and improving teacher quality as they craft the commonwealth’s new grant application, which is due June 1.
A bill signed by Gov. Deval Patrick in January improved the commonwealth’s application by making it easier to turn around failing schools and allowing more charter schools. But maximizing the commonwealth’s chances will require additional measures to strengthen teacher evaluations, tie them to compensation, and lift all charter caps.
The January legislation doubled the charter school cap in mostly urban, low-performing school districts. Lifting charter caps entirely would boost the commonwealth’s chances in round two and reflect the clear will of state residents, who know that Massachusetts charters are among the nation’s best. Polling done in anticipation of a ballot initiative that was abandoned when the new law was enacted in January showed that 70 percent support statewide cap lifting.
Much has been written about Massachusetts losing points in the first round of RttT for refusing to commit to adopting national educational standards that are currently being drafted, but it isn’t the only high-achieving state that is dubious about potentially watering down its standards. Minnesota, which is nipping at the commonwealth’s heels in national test results and was the only state other than Massachusetts to take part in recent international math and science testing, is also reluctant.
While we recognize the need for national standards, the opportunity to push states to develop high standards should not be sacrificed on the altar of an absolute requirement that such standards be common among 50 states. A better solution would be for states like Massachusetts and Minnesota to work with the federal government to carve out an agreement that acknowledges the role rigorous standards play in the states’ high achievement and gives them flexibility to review subsequent national drafts before deciding whether to accept them.
Despite the controversy over national standards, Massachusetts actually lost more than twice as many points on its RttT application for lackluster proposals to improve teacher and school leader effectiveness. One reviewer noted that the commonwealth’s current educator evaluation regulations don’t include any measures of effectiveness based on student performance. Another commented on the lack of plans to incentivize teachers to work in low-income schools or ensure that teachers and principals are assigned where they are most needed.
Teacher evaluation is a longstanding problem. A February report from the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) found that half of Boston’s teachers hadn’t been evaluated in the past two years. In one-quarter of the city’s schools, no teachers were evaluated during that period.
The evaluations that are conducted are largely perfunctory. During the 2008-09 school year, the performance of only 70 Boston teachers was judged to be unsatisfactory. CommonWealth magazine reported that from 2003 to 2008, not a single teacher in more than half the city’s schools — some of them underperforming –received an unsatisfactory evaluation.
If Massachusetts is to be a winner this time, state officials will have to get serious about teacher evaluations and give student performance a role in determining compensation.
Results from the first round of Race to the Top give Massachusetts education officials clear guidance about where their application fell short and what needs to change if Massachusetts is to win a federal grant of up to $250 million in round two.
But guidance is one thing, translating it into the necessary policy changes is another. With the application deadline for the next round close at hand, state officials will have to take quick and decisive action if they are to enhance Massachusetts’ competitive position.
Charles Barone is director of federal policy with Democrats for Education Reform.