Race to the Top Finalists Announced
Nevada among states overlooked for funds
The Race to the Top finalists were announced today. Of the 36 states which submitted applications in phase 2, 19 states were selected as finalists—Nevada was among the states overlooked.
- Nevada’s governor and some lawmakers have failed to provide the resources and that shows by where Nevada ranks in per pupil expenditures--49th in the nation.
- It shouldn’t surprise us that the federal government doesn’t want to invest in Nevada if state leaders have failed to do so thus far.
- Race to the Top funds would have assisted in filling the funding gap that Nevada’s ailing economy has created.
- NSEA supported Nevada’s application for the federal Race to the Top funds and agrees with some of the educational reform investments within such as adopting Common Core standards, accelerating our data systems to measure student growth and informing teachers about how they can improve instruction, developing and retaining effective teachers and principals, and turning around our lowest achieving schools.
- While Nevada has been passed up this time around, we will continue to work with the Blue Ribbon Task Force and state legislative leaders to see proper funding levels are sought and found.
- It’s time lawmakers do what’s right and change funding mechanisms to properly invest in Nevada’s schools.
Click here to view the letter Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sent to governors earlier today. For more information of the Race to the Top visit http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html.
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Facts on Race to the Top Grant and how it affects Nevada
The Race to the Top is a $4.3 billion program designed to help states meet their funding obligations for public education. The grant is completely competitive and therefore, not every state will receive its share of this money, as it depends on meeting certain criteria to become eligible. Below are some facts in regard to the grant and how it will affect Nevada.
- Nevada is expected to receive only $20 million dollars from the grant. To put this in perspective, $20 million is less than 1% of the Nevada Department of Education’s total budget.
- The Race to the Top mandates are an attempt to increase the federal government’s power over the states and how they choose to deliver public education to its citizens.
- Reforming education is a not a “one-size-fits-all” strategy and the Race to the Top does not recognize the individual needs of each state and the specific, unique, problems that Nevada will face.
In order to apply for the grant, Nevada will have to change several laws that are on the books for a reason. Of course, even if all of these changes were made, there is no guarantee that Nevada will receive any money at all.
- Nevada had to its long-time stance of not tying student test scores to teacher evaluations.
- This law was on the books because legislators understood that a single test score is not the proper way to evaluate how effective a teacher is.
- Many variables go into how a student will score on a single test. Some students are excellent test-takers; others show their acumen in other ways.
- Parent involvement, nutrition, and other socio-economic factors also have a large effect on how a student will perform during a test.
- The true effects of changing this law will be fewer incentives for poorer schools to attract the best teachers.
- The achievement gap will grow wider and the students who need the most help may not have the resources they need.
- Nevada needs a law that will encourage teachers to teach in impoverished schools, not one that will discourage them.
Changing the evaluations statute, NRS 386.650, is not the only alteration to make to even apply for the funds.
- These changes will prove costly to Nevada. In a time of budget crises, it is not prudent to incur such dramatic costs for a small pot of one-shot money.
- The federal government should allow each state to determine its proper use of the stimulus money.
- In such dire times as these, Nevada barely has enough to cover all of its current responsibilities, and yet the federal government is once again pushing for more and asking the states to pay for it.
- The U.S. Department of Education’s carrot and stick approach is not how you reform education, especially when the carrot is so small and stick is so much bigger.
