ED Announces “Race to Top” Guidelines, With Value-Added Assessment a Core Element

Washington, July 24 — With a $4.3 billion carrot, you don't need much of a stick.

States are expected to vigorously compete for a share of the “Race to the Top” grant program unveiled today by Education Secretary Arne Duncan. And in an accompanying editorial published today in the Washington Post, Duncan celebrated the fact that Obama administration jawboning has helped launch a 46-state initiative to develop world-class standards and persuaded at least seven states to remove restrictions on charter schools — both of which are administration priorities.