Reviving America's Schools
October 17th, 2009 - 11:33am
Filed under Education
Almost three-quarters of Americans think that the problems facing education are at least as grave as those facing health care (Economist). Traditionally, the education secretary can do little to push reform. Armed with $10 billion in stimulus, Arne Duncan wants to "fundamentally change the business the department of education is in." Some even call him a "venture philanthropist." His plan includes "Investing in Innovation" a fund that awards grants to school districts and private groups running schools and a "Race to the Top" fund which rewards states who reform in the following areas: support of internationally benchmarked standards and tests; reversing the tendency of states to weaken NCLB standards; streamlining the collection of pupil data to improve teaching; use performance to determine training and, controversially, pay and promotion.
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