Tropical Storm IDA Best Track Information (.shp)

GIS Data last updated Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:55:13 GMT

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Remarks by The President and Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan in Discussion with Students

1:05 P.M. CST

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  Well, we're thrilled to be here and this is a school that's getting better and better, and you guys are working really, really hard.  And we've been lucky.  We have a President here who has got a tough, tough job.  Being President is tough without the -- he's fighting two wars, a really, really tough economy -- I like your shirt.

STUDENT:  Thanks.  (Laughter.)

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  And what amazes me is that week after week, month after month, he just keeps coming back to education, and he's absolutely passionate about it.  He and his wife, the First Lady Michelle Obama, received great educations.  Neither one was born with a lot of money, but they worked really hard and had great teachers and great principals and made the most of it.  And now he's our President.  So it's a pretty remarkable journey.  The only reason he's the President is because he got a great education.

So we're thrilled to be here.  He might want to say a few things, and looks like you guys have questions for him.  And so we'll be quick and we'll open up to your questions.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, it is good to see all of you.  Thanks so much for having us.

First of all, I've got a great Secretary of Education in Arne Duncan.  So he helps school districts all across the country in trying to figure out how to improve what's going on in the schools.  And let me just pick up on something that Arne said earlier.

I was really lucky to have a great education.  I didn't have a lot of money.  My parents weren't famous.  In fact, my father left when I was two years old, so I really didn't grow up with a father in the house; mostly it was my mom and my grandparents.  But they always emphasized education and they were able to send me to good schools, and by working hard I was obviously in a position to do some good stuff.

My wife, Michelle, same thing.  She grew up on the South Side of Chicago.  Her dad was actually disabled, he had multiple sclerosis, but he still worked every day in a blue collar job.  And her mom didn't work, and when she did she was a secretary.  But because she worked really hard in school she ended up getting a scholarship to Princeton and to Harvard Law School and ended up really being able to achieve a lot.

So that's the reason why we are spending a lot of time talking to folks like you, because we want all of you to understand that there's nothing more important than what you're doing right here at this school.  And Wright has a great reputation, this school is improving all the time, but ultimately how good a school is depends on how well you guys are doing. 

And the main message that I just wanted to deliver to you is, every single one of you could be doing the same kinds of things that Arne is doing or I'm doing or you could be running a company or you can be inventing a product or you could -- look, anything you can imagine, you can accomplish, but the only way you do it is if you're succeeding here in school.  And we are spending a lot of money to try to improve school buildings and put computers in and make sure that your teachers are well trained and that they are getting the support they need. 

So we're working really hard to try to reform the schools, but ultimately what matters most is how badly you want a good education.  If you think that somehow somebody is just going to -- you can tilt your head and somebody is going to pour education in your ear, that's just not how it works.  The only way that you end up being in a position to achieve is if you want it, if inside you want it. 

And part of the reason why we wanted to talk to you guys is, you're right at the point now in your lives where what you do is really going to start mattering.  My daughters are a little younger than you -- Malia is 11, Sasha is eight -- but when you're in grade school, you're playing -- hopefully somebody is making sure you're doing your homework when you get it, but to some degree you're still just kind of learning how to learn. 

By the time you get to middle school, you're now going to be confronted with a lot of choices.  You're going to start entering those teenage years where there are a lot of distractions and in some places people will say you don't need to worry about school or it's uncool to be smart or -- you know, all kinds of things.  And, look, I'll be honest, I went through some of that when I was in high school and I made some mistakes and had some setbacks. 

So I just want everybody to understand right now that nothing is going to be more important to you than just being hungry for knowledge.  And if all of you decide to do that, then there are going to be teachers and principals and secretaries of education who are going to be there to help you.  So hopefully you guys will take that all to heart.

All right.  Okay.  Now we're going to kick out everybody so I can let you -- you guys can ask me all the really tough questions without having the press here.

END
1:09 P.M CST

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El Presidente Obama Nombra al Juez Albert Diaz a
la Corte Federal de Apelaciones del Cuarto Distrito

English

THE WHITE HOUSE
Oficina del Secretario de Prensa
______________________________________________________________________________
Para publicación inmediata                                                                 November 4, 2009

El Presidente Obama Nombra al Juez Albert Diaz a la Corte Federal de Apelaciones del Cuarto Distrito

Hoy el Presidente Obama nombró al Juez Albert Díaz y al Juez James Wynn a la Corte Federal de Apelaciones del Cuarto Distrito. Díaz es juez de la Corte Superior Especial en Carolina del Norte y Wynn es juez de la Corte de Apelaciones de Carolina del Norte.

“Los jueces Díaz y Wynn han sido distinguidos funcionarios públicos dedicados al pueblo de Carolina del Norte y me siento honrado de nombrarlos hoy a la corte federal,” dijo el Presidente Obama.  “Sus carreras jurídicas distinguidas no dejan duda de que su ingreso al Cuarto Distrito será apreciado.”

Juez Albert Díaz: Nombrado a la Corte Federal de Apelaciones del Cuarto Distrito

El juez Díaz es juez de la Corte Superior Especial para casos empresariales complejos, uno de sólo tres en el estado de Carolina del Norte. El juez Díaz inició su carrera legal en la Sección de Servicios Legales de Apoyo de la Infantería de Marina de Estados Unidos, donde prestó servicios como fiscal, abogado defensor y finalmente fuera ascendido a Oficial en Jefe de Revisión. Luego pasó a la Oficina del Asesor Legal General (Office of the Judge Advocate General JAG) de la Marina, donde prestó servicios por cuatro años como asesor legal para apelaciones, a cargo de apelaciones penales. En 1995, el juez Díaz dejó el servicio activo en la Infantería de Marina y se asoció a Hunton & Williams, donde se dedicó a litigios comerciales. Mientras ejerció de forma privada, permaneció en la Reserva de la Infantería de Marina, como defensor legal en reserva del Cuerpo JAG de la Marina, juez militar en reserva de la división judicial de la Marina e Infantería de Marina de Estados Unidos, y como juez militar de apelaciones en reserva en la Corte de Apelaciones Penales de la Marina e Infantería de Marina de Estados Unidos. Renunció al cargo de juez militar cuando se retiró de la Infantería de Marina en el 2006. El juez Díaz fue el primer latino nombrado a la Corte Superior de Carolina del Norte cuando fue designado juez residente de la Corte Superior en el 2001. En el 2002, fue nombrado juez de la Corte Superior Especial y en el 2005, fue designado juez de la Corte Superior Especial para casos empresariales complejos. Obtuvo su licenciatura de la Facultad Wharton de la Universidad de Pensilvania en 1983 y su título de abogado de la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de Nueva York en 1988. También obtuvo una maestría en economía de la Universidad de Boston en 1993.

 

 

 

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Press Gaggle with Secretary of Education Duncan
Aboard AF1 En Route Madison, WI

THE WHITE HOUSEOffice of the Press Secretary
___________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                                                              November 4, 2009PRESS GAGGLE BY PRESS SECRETARY OF EDUCATION ARNE DUNCAN Aboard Air Force One
En Route Madison, Wisconsin

12:06 P.M. EST

MR. EARNEST:  Secretary Duncan is just going to provide an overview about the announcements today and answer a couple of questions that you guys have.  A lot of the other stuff Gibbs covered in the gaggle today, so we're just going to stick to the policy stuff on Race to the Top.

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  Any questions?

Q    Do you want to just start with questions?

Q    Can you give us an overview of --

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  Sure.  Obviously this is a really big day for us, where the President is going to highlight the pretty dramatic moves that have been made around the country already, obviously before any money has been put out.  And we're trying to educate our way to a better economy; we're trying to get dramatically better.  And we've seen very significant movement from a number of states.  Obviously Wisconsin is considering some very significant movement literally this week.

So it's been wonderful to see states moving in the right direction to challenge the status quo, to push toward the kind of dramatic change the President talked about during the campaign, and to see so much movement before we spent a dollar of this money is very, very encouraging.

Q    Has it been a stretch to get the unions to go along with having --

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  Everybody is working together and no one in this country is saying the status quo is good enough.  Everybody recognizes the dropout rate is unacceptable.  Everybody recognizes we have to dramatically increase not just the percent of high school graduates, but the percent ready to do -- really work at the college level, actually graduate from college.  And we're all in this together -- principals, teachers, Department of Education, unions, the business community -- importantly, students themselves.  I think the President has challenged all of us to move outside of our comfort zones and to collaborate in some very different ways.  And I'm very, very encouraged about the progress so far.

Q    The next step is for you to announce the contours of the program, right, the criteria by which states can apply?

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  Yes.

Q    When is that going to happen?

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  That's coming soon.  We have actually got the draft proposals.  We have lots of written comments come back -- literally thousands.  Our staff has been staying up literally all night going through all those.  We have -- folks who have read every single comment we got.  We'll come out soon with a final proposal.  And the public feedback, the public comments have been very, very helpful and the final proposal will be much stronger due to that info.

Q    No more specific than "soon"?  Like within a few weeks or this month or --

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  Soon. 

Q    Melody said that the grants would start in January.  Is that correct?

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  That's correct.  It actually goes out -- the applications will be due back after 60 days, and then we'll put money out -- the first tranche of money will be in April, the second one will be in September. 

Q    So if I'm a school I should plan on doing an application when?  Next week?

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  Soon. 

Q    We're going to Wisconsin the day before the lawmakers are voting.  Does this send a message that the direction they're taking is the direction you want other states to go?

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  Absolutely.  And we've seen, again, probably at least a dozen states already move.  I don't know if you guys saw, late last night California -- this bill passed the Senate, their bill.  It's moving on to the House.  And so the state of Wisconsin is absolutely moving in the right direction and Governor Doyle is showing real courage.  And we're encouraged to know that this is going -- will be voted on this week and it could be a very significant step in the right direction.

Q    What percent of American high school -- what's the percent of high school graduates in the U.S. overall?

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  I'll flip it the other way.  We have about a 30-percent dropout rate, and that 30 percent equates to 1.2 million students not graduating.

Q    And is it getting worse or holding its own or what's the trend?

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  It's stubbornly high.  It's stubbornly high.  And so we have to try and over time significantly reduce the dropout rate, we have to significantly increase the graduation rate, and we have to make sure a much higher percentage of those that graduate from high school are prepared for success either in higher education or the world of work.

Q    And do you know what the graduation rate is -- like 83 percent graduate, 93?

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  It's lower -- well, again, it's a 30 percent dropout rate.  This is complicated because it's numbers  -- but we're losing far too many of our students to the streets in this country.  And I would say that high school -- why we feel such a huge sense of urgency, high school dropouts today are basically condemned to poverty and social failure.  There are no good jobs out there, and there was a time in this country -- you go back 30 years -- where there really was an acceptable dropout rate.  It was really okay.  Like, Chicago, where we're from, you could drop out and go get a job in the stockyards or the steel mills, and get a decent salary and own your own home and support a family.  Those jobs, as we know, are just a memory from a bygone era. 

And the President is really drawing a line in the sand.  The President is saying, by the year 2020 we have to again lead the world in the percent of college graduates.  We used to lead the world in percent of college graduates.  We have flat-lined for the past two and half decades.  Lots of other countries have passed us by, and we're paying that price.

And so every move we make -- I know we're talking about Race to the Top -- early childhood, K-12, higher ed reform -- every move we make is towards that President's long-term goal of significantly increasing -- again, leading the world in percent of college graduates.

Q    And what is the percentage of college graduates on that world scale now? 

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  We're down -- there are at least nine or 10 countries ahead of us, and we used to lead the world.  So it's not so much we dropped -- we flat-lined and they've all passed us by.  They've all invested, they've all done more, and we've lost our way educationally.  This is about fundamentally saying the only way we're going to strengthen the economy long term, the only way we give every child or student a chance to be successful is to have them be well educated.

Q    Secretary Duncan, can you articulate why it's important to link student achievement data with teacher performance, and also why it's important to lift these caps on the charter schools?

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  I'll take one at a time.  On the first one -- it's amazing, I always use the California example because California is a big state -- California has 300,000 teachers -- 300,000 teachers.  The top 10 percent, the top 30,000 teachers in California, would be world-class, would be among the best teachers in the world.  The bottom 10 percent in California, the bottom 30,000, probably need to find another line of work, another profession.  And nobody can tell you of those 300,000 teachers who's in what category.  There's no recognition.

And so what I fundamentally believe is that great teaching matters and we need to be able to identify those teachers who routinely are making an extraordinary difference in students' lives.  And to say that teaching has no impact on student performance, on student achievement, just absolutely makes no sense to me.  It absolutely degrades the profession.

So the counterargument -- so right now as a country basically zero percent of student achievement relates to teacher evaluation.  I think that's a problem.  I also think 100 percent -- if all you do is look at a test score to evaluate a teacher, I think that's a problem.  So zero is a problem; 100 is a problem. As a country, we're here, we're trying to move to a middle point where you would evaluate teachers on multiple measures -- that's really important -- not just on a single test score, but, yes, student achievement would be a part of what you look at in evaluating a teacher.

And so whether it's an individual teacher, whether it's a school, whether it's a school district, whether it's a state, the whole thing as a country we need to do is we need to accelerate the rate of change.  We have to get better faster.  And there are teachers every single year -- just to give you an illustration -- there are teachers every single year where the average child in their class is gaining two years of growth -- two years of growth per year of instruction.  That is herculean work.  Those teachers are the unsung heroes in our society.  And nobody can tell you who those teachers are.

There are some schools that do that, not just one miraculous teacher or one miraculous student.  There are schools that year after year produce students that are showing extraordinary gains. Shouldn't we know that?  Isn't that something valuable?  Shouldn't we be learning from them?

And the flip side of it, if you have teachers or schools where students are falling further and further behind each year, I think we need to know that as well.  And so we just want to have an open, honest conversation, but at the end of the day, teachers should never be evaluated on a single test score.  I want to be absolutely clear there should always be multiple measures.  But student achievement has to be a piece of what teachers are evaluated on. 

And there's a recent study that came out, The New Teacher Project, that talked about this Widget Effect where 99 percent of teachers were rated as superior.  It's not reality.

On your second point, on charter caps, I've been really clear I'm not a fan of charter schools, I'm a fan of good charter schools.  And what we need in this country is just more good schools.  We need more good elementary, more good middle, more good high schools.  No second grader knows whether they're going to a charter school, or a gifted school, or traditional school, or magnet school.  They know, does my teacher care about me?  Am I safe?  Is there high expectations?  Does the principal know who I am? 

We need more good schools.  And where you have -- where you have good charters, we need to replicate them and to learn from them and to grow.  Where you have bad charters, we need to close them down and hold them accountable.  And so this is not let a thousand flowers bloom, this is trying to take what is being successful and grow. 

And what I would say is if something is working, if you reduce -- we talked about the graduation rate, if you're doing something to reduce the dropout rate and increase the graduation rate, would you put a cap on that strategy?  Would you ever say that we're going to cap the number of students who can take AP classes this year?  We're going to limit the number of kids who take -- we're going to limit the number of kids that graduate?  We would never do that. 

So if something is working, if that innovation is helping us get better, why would you put an artificial cap on it?  So let's let that innovation flourish, but at the same time actually have a high bar and hold folks accountable.

So I was a big fan of successful charter schools in Chicago when I was a superintendent there, but I also closed three charter schools for academic failure.  And you need both.  Good charters are a big piece of the answer.  Bad charters perpetuate the status quo and we need to challenge that.

Q    Can you define "charter school"?

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  That's a good question.  It's actually broader than charter schools.  It's really about schools that are willing to innovate and do some things differently.  And again, for all the challenges we face as a country -- the dropout rate is unacceptably high, not enough students prepared for college -- I'm actually very, very optimistic. 

We've never had more high performance schools around the country.  Many are traditional schools, many are charter schools, many have different levels of autonomy.  What we need to do is to scale up what works, and take to scale those things that are working.  And I can take you to the toughest inner-city communities, I can take you to the toughest rural communities where you have a special school -- really high -- (inaudible) -- schools, where 95 percent of kids are graduating, and 95 percent of those that graduate are going on to be successful in college. We need to do more of that.

So good charters are a piece of the answer.  We need schools that are willing to challenge the status quo and get the kind of outcomes for students that we desperately need. 

Q    More freedom, more innovative, more willing to take a chance?

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  And also that -- and also accountability. I think that that combination of autonomy and accountability is very important.  You got to have those two.  And it takes visionary leadership.  It takes people who believe in every fiber of their body that every child can be successful.  It doesn’t matter how tough the community, it doesn’t matter about race or poverty, every child in that school can be successful.  And we've never had more examples of schools like that around the country.

Q    And how many charter schools are there in the country about?

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  I don't have a hard number for you.  We can get you that number. 

Q    Thousands?

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  Yes, thousands, thousands.  Yes.

Q    It's been a year since the President has been elected, and I'm just wondering about your own reflections.  Has it been harder than you thought it would be to achieve the goals that you set out in education?

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  It's been extraordinary.  And I can't believe it's been a year already.  Time is flying by.  But to see so much movement across so many states so quickly is unbelievably encouraging.  And everywhere we go, people -- no one is saying the status quo is good enough.  I've met with every governor.  I've met with every state school chief.  I'm asking one question: Which one of you is satisfied with your graduation rate?  Which one thinks your dropout rate is low enough?  And the room gets real quiet.

Lots of progress, lots of momentum, but everybody feels a sense of urgency.  And to see so much movement in such a short time has been exhilarating, quite frankly.  It's been absolutely amazing. 

Q    We're seeing a lot of economic anxiety.  You said very explicitly, this is an economic initiative.

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  This says two things to me.  Again, I fundamentally think we have to educate our way to a better economy, that there's an economic imperative behind this.  As a country, we cannot continue to be successful and lead the world with a 30-percent dropout rate.  Can't do it, can't keep jobs here.  So that's one thing.

Second, I really -- I've said repeatedly, I think this is a civil rights issue of our generation, that this is really -- the fight for quality education is really a fight for social justice; that when we fail to educate, we as educators, we perpetuate poverty, we perpetuate social failure.  So whether you look at this from the standpoint of social justice or whether you look at this from the standpoint of an economic imperative, there is just this huge sense of urgency I feel that we have to get dramatically better, be willing to challenge the status quo, stop doing what doesn't work, innovate, and take to scale those things that are working.

Thanks, guys.

Q    Do you know who else called education a civil rights issue? 

SECRETARY DUNCAN:  Say it again?

Q    Who else?

SECRETARY DUNCAN: -- "soft bigotry of low expectations."

Q    Very good.  (Laughter.)

END
12:20 P.M. EST
 

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Tropical Depression ELEVEN Public Advisory Number
1A

Issued at 100 PM EST WED NOV 04 2009

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FDA Unveils Safe Use Initiative that Targets
Preventable Harm from Medication Use

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the Safe Use Initiative, a program aimed at reducing the likelihood of preventable harm from medication use.

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Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate
11/04/09

NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE:

Albert Diaz, of North Carolina, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit, vice William W. Wilkins, Jr., retired.

James A. Wynn, Jr., of North Carolina, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit, vice James Dickson Phillips, Jr., retired.>

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President Obama Nominates Judge Albert Diaz and
Judge James Wynn to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama nominated Judge Albert Diaz and Judge James Wynn to serve on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Diaz currently serves as a Special Superior Court Judge in North Carolina and Wynn currently sits on the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

“Judges Diaz and Wynn have been exceptional public servants for the people of North Carolina and I am honored to nominate them today to serve from the federal bench,” said President Obama.  “Their distinguished judicial careers leave no doubt that they will be esteemed additions to the Fourth Circuit.”

Judge Albert Diaz: Nominee for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals

Judge Albert Diaz currently serves as a Special Superior Court Judge for Complex Business Cases, one of only three in the state of North Carolina. Judge Diaz began his legal career in the United States Marine Corps Legal Services Support Section, where he served as a prosecutor, defense counsel, and ultimately Chief Review Officer.  He then moved to the Navy’s Office of the Judge Advocate General (JAG), where he served for four years as appellate government counsel handling criminal appeals.  In 1995, Judge Diaz left active duty in the Marine Corps and worked as an associate at Hunton & Williams with a primary focus on commercial litigation.  He remained in the Marine Corps Reserves while in private practice, serving as Reserve Appellate Defense Counsel in the Navy’s JAG Corps, a Reserve Military Judge in the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary, and a Reserve Appellate Military Judge in the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps’ Court of Criminal Appeals.  He resigned as a military judge when he retired from the Marine Corps in 2006. Judge Diaz was the first Latino appointed to the North Carolina Superior Court when he was named as a Resident Superior Court Judge in 2001.  In 2002, he was appointed as a Special Superior Court Judge and he was designated as Special Superior Court Judge for Complex Business Cases in 2005. He earned a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1983, and received his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1988. He also earned a Masters degree in Business Administration from Boston University in 1993.  Judge Diaz is a nominee for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and received a rating of unanimous well-qualified from the American Bar Association.

Judge James Wynn: Nominee for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals

Judge James Wynn currently sits on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, the state’s intermediate appellate court.  Prior to taking the bench in 1990, he served as an appellate public defender and worked in private practice.  He is a certified Military Trial Judge and a Captain in the U.S. Navy Reserves.  He served on active duty in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps from 1979 to 1983.  He has received the Meritorious Service Medal three times, the Navy Commendation Medal twice, the Naval Reserve Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Medal.  He is the Chair of the American Bar Association Judicial Division, a former Chair of the Association’s Appellate Judges Conference, and a member of the Standing Committee on Minorities in the Judiciary.  He received his B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1975 , his J.D. from Marquette University Law School  in 1977 , and a Master of Laws from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1995 .  Judge Wynn is a nominee for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and received a rating of unanimous well-qualified from the American Bar Association.

###

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Fact Sheet: The Race to the Top

 

Promoting Innovation, Reform, and Excellence in America’s Public Schools

“America will not succeed in the 21st century unless we do a far better job of educating our sons and daughters… And the race starts today.  I am issuing a challenge to our nation’s governors and school boards, principals and teachers, businesses and non-profits, parents and students: if you set and enforce rigorous and challenging standards and assessments; if you put outstanding teachers at the front of the classroom; if you turn around failing schools – your state can win a Race to the Top grant that will not only help students outcompete workers around the world, but let them fulfill their God-given potential.”

 

- President Barack Obama
July 24, 2009

 

Providing a high-quality education to every young American is vital to the health of our nation’s democracy and the strength of our nation’s economy.  In a 21st century world, education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity and success – it is a prerequisite.

The Obama Administration is committed to reforming America’s public schools to provide every child access to a complete and competitive education.  President Obama recently presented states with an unprecedented challenge and the opportunity to compete in a “Race to the Top” designed to spur systemic reform and embrace innovative approaches to teaching and learning in America’s schools.  Backed by a historic $4.35 billion investment, the reforms contained in the Race to the Top will help prepare America’s students to graduate ready for college and career, and enable them to out-compete any worker, anywhere in the world. 

Today, in Madison, Wisconsin, the President applauded progress across the nation as states undertake reforms that will enable them to better qualify for an award under the Race to the Top.

 

RACE TO THE TOP

 

 

 

In the coming weeks, the U.S. Department of Education will issue the final application and guidance for states under the Race to the Top.  This competition will be conducted in two rounds – the first starting this month and the second in June of next year – with winners announced in April and September, 2010.  To be eligible to compete, states must have their second round State Fiscal Stabilization applications approved by the U.S. Department of Education and not have any legal, statutory or regulatory barriers to linking data on student achievement or student growth to teachers and principals for evaluation purposes.

The Race to the Top emphasizes the following reform areas:

Designing and implementing rigorous standards and high-quality assessments, by encouraging states to work jointly toward a system of common academic standards that builds toward college and career readiness, and that includes improved assessments designed to measure critical knowledge and higher-order thinking skills.   Attracting and keeping great teachers and leaders in America’s classrooms, by expanding effective support to teachers and principals; reforming and improving teacher preparation; revising teacher evaluation, compensation, and retention policies to encourage and reward effectiveness; and working to ensure that our most talented teachers are placed in the schools and subjects where they are needed the most.Supporting data systems that inform decisions and improve instruction, by fully implementing a statewide longitudinal data system, assessing and using data to drive instruction, and making data more accessible to key stakeholders.Using innovation and effective approaches to turn-around struggling schools, by asking states to prioritize and transform persistently low-performing schools.Demonstrating and sustaining education reform, by promoting collaborations between business leaders, educators, and other stakeholders to raise student achievement and close achievement gaps, and by expanding support for high-performing public charter schools, reinvigorating math and science education, and promoting other conditions favorable to innovation and reform.

 

A NATIONAL RESPONSE

 

In July, the U.S. Department of Education issued a notice of proposed priorities under the Race to the Top, and has received more than 3,700 comments from approximately 1,200 respondents on the various components of the program, including comments from 9 Governors, 20 State Education Officials, and over 200 education associations and organizations.  All comments to the Race to the Top are available on http://www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html

States and communities across the nation have recently undertaken efforts designed to promote education reforms that are consistent with the principles reflected under the Race to the Top. 

Missouri became the 48th state, along with the District of Columbia, to join a national partnership led by the National Governors Association and the Chief State School Officers to develop a common core of new, rigorous college and career-ready standards in reading and math.

California recently enacted legislation to enable student achievement data to be linked to teacher and principal performance.  Indiana now permits the use of student performance data for teacher evaluation and Wisconsin, with the support of the state teachers union, has recently introduced and is considering legislation to do the same.  New York is also considering similar legislation.

Illinois, Louisiana, and Tennessee have all recently altered laws or policies affecting public charter schools to enable their expansion and success.  Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Ohio and Rhode Island have recently advanced policies to preserve and strengthen public charter schools.  Similar efforts are being considered in California, Idaho, New York, Massachusetts, Michigan and North Carolina. 

Delaware has recently developed a new system of teacher evaluation which incorporates student achievement and sets classroom goals for teachers evaluated through various measures of student learning and growth. The system allows teachers, principals, and school administrators to engage in a process focused on improving teacher practice and increasing student success. 

Austin, TX has developed an innovative approach to performance-based compensation and career advancement for teachers that rewards successful teachers who improve the achievement and growth of their students and who take on additional roles and responsibilities, such as mentoring new teachers.

Educators and city leaders in Jefferson County, CO have collaborated to develop an alternate compensation system for teachers, focused on student learning, teacher learning and teacher leadership.  The proposed system would include multiple measures of student learning and growth gathered from the state’s reading and math assessments, as well as incorporate incentives and goals for teams of teachers and a restructuring of the school day and possibly the school year. 

New Haven, CT recently ratified a new four-year contract for their teachers, including a new teacher evaluation system that considers student learning gains in the assessment of teacher performance and that identifies and provides interventions for struggling teachers through a peer-assistance and review program . To promote innovation, New Haven will promote a new process for changing traditional conditions in schools – enabling reforms such as expanding the school day – and will facilitate the conversion of underperforming schools into charter schools, where the school principal will select and build his or her instructional team.

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Read The Full Article:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-race-top

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Background on the President's Trip to
Madison, Wisconsin

DISCUSSION WITH STUDENTS WITH SECRETARY ARNE DUNCAN
JAMES C. WRIGHT MIDDLE SCHOOL
1:00 PM CDT         

The President and Secretary Arne Duncan will meet with approximately 40 students at James C. Wright Middle School, one of two public charter schools in Madison, Wisconsin.  The group of 6th, 7th and 8th graders was chosen based on teacher recommendation. 

RACE TO THE TOP ANNOUNCEMENT
JAMES C. WRIGHT MIDDLE SCHOOL
1:30 PM CDT

The President will deliver remarks to students, parents, teachers, school officials and state/local leaders at James C. Wright Middle School on strengthening America’s education system and putting the interests of the nation’s students first. In coming weeks, states will be able to compete for a grant from one of the largest investments ever made in education – over $4 billion – the Race to the Top Fund. These grants will be made available to states committed to transforming the way we educate our kids so that they can develop a real plan to improve the quality of education across the nation.

The audience will be composed of approximately 500 Wright Middle School students, parents, teachers, and school officials as well as state and local leaders. Secretary Duncan will also be in attendance.

PARTICIPANTS
- Principal Nancy Evans will welcome students, parents and invited guests.
- Ari Davis (6th grade) will lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Miko Jobst (8th grade), Laura Sumi (7th grade), and Erika Meyer (orchestra teacher) will perform the National Anthem.
- Governor Jim Doyle will introduce the President.

BACKGROUND ON JAMES C. WRIGHT MIDDLE SCHOOL
The mission of the Wright Middle school is “to educate all students to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence required to participate fully in an evolving global society.”  A public charter school established in 1997, the Wright school is the smallest and most ethnically and economically diverse middle school in Madison (38% African-American, 37% Latino, 13% White, and 86% low-income).  The school also has a significant population of students with disabilities (22%) and English language learners (39%), and outpaces both the school district and statewide average achievement for both student subgroups.   

Wright offers a core curriculum of language arts, social studies, math and science at each grade level, and provides enrichment courses in physical education, music, art, and technology.  All grades at the school participate in a social action project focused on the environment at the sixth grade level; the economy at the seventh grade level; and government at the eighth grade level.  Among the school’s signature reforms are a small and tailored instructional program; bilingual resource specialists (Spanish and Hmong languages); an academic acceleration program in literacy to support struggling 6th and 7th graders; and a mentorship and afterschool homework program. 

Wright is also one of three middle schools in Madison that partners with the University of Madison in a teacher preparation program through an innovative model that pairs new teachers with veterans and delivers professional development and ongoing support.

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Read The Full Article:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/background-presidents-trip-madison-wis
consin

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