Debate About Criteria Unfolds As the ‘Race’ to Reform Begins

In terms of ambition, the $4 billion Race to the Top competition lives up to the "moon shot" metaphor attached to it by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

Its proposed requirements and selection criteria contain any number of provisions that, if adopted, could radically alter the K-12 landscape. Much of the attention has focused on the guidelines' linkage between student achievement and teacher evaluations, but the draft also asks for evidence that states have made education funding a priority, raised achievement and closed gaps, ensured the equitable distribution of effective teachers and principals, and turned around struggling schools.

Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy and a longtime senior Democratic staff member on the House education committee, called the proposals "breathtaking in terms of what the federal government is asking for." Nonetheless, he predicted that the economic crunch faced by states would overshadow any objections to the grant criteria.