State to Seek Race to the Top Funds

By Winston Skinner
The Times-Herald
December 2, 2009

Georgia will be seeking some of the $350 million in Race to the Top funds -- federal dollars earmarked to rethink how the educational process is evaluated.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has set aside up to $350 million of Race to the Top funds "for the potential purpose of supporting states in the development of a next generation of assessments," according to a U.S. DOE Web site. The department has sought "a wide range of input from assessment practitioners and researchers" in moving forward with the program.

"We have to lead the nation in improving student achievements," Georgia Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox said at an Education Town Hall at Lindley Middle School in Mableton on Monday -- echoing a goal Georgia DOE adopted shortly after she took office in 2003.

Alisha Thomas Morgan, state representative for District 39, was host for the Education Town Hall. She said Race to the Top "is really a competition encouraging states to improve innovation and creativity and rigor."

Morgan said she believes Georgia is positioned well to get some of the money that is part of the Obama administration's economic stimulus plan. "We've been able to work together in a bipartisan way. We have not been afraid of accountability," she said.

Morgan is a Democrat from Austell. Cox, a Republican, was a Fayette County teacher before she was elected state school superintendent.

"The number one factor in student achievement is an effective teacher," Morgan said.

Cox said there are processes in place that will allow Georgia principals to fire incompetent teachers. "We're going to try to create some more carrots for those high achieving teachers in the near future," she said.

She said there is a national trend to move toward evaluating "what teachers are doing with student learning." Cox said the new Georgia teacher assessment instrument does a better job in that regard than previous evaluation methods.

Cox answered questions posed by adults in the audience and by a panel of Lindley students. One of the eighth graders asked Cox her opinion of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. "No Child Left Behind has helped our state. Are there problems? Yes," she stated.

Cox said there are national discussions taking place about how to fine tune NCLB.

One problem Cox pointed out was the requirement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that students with special needs be given modifications to help them achieve, but those allowances are not permitted under NCLB testing.

At the same time, NCLB has placed a focus on getting the most from special education students.

"The students who have made the greatest gain since 2003 are students with disabilities," Cox said. "We don't need to abandon the idea that all kids means all kids."

During her talk, Cox shared statistics from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The latest NAEP scores showed Georgia students improving. In most areas, Georgia test scores rose more than the national average -- and in some, Georgia pupils scored above the national average. The test compares students overall in grades four and eight -- and ranks black, Latino and white students as groups, as well.

The only measure on which a subgroup in Georgia did not increase scores more than the national average was fourth grade math scores for black students. Cox noted their scores were still close to the national average.

Reading scores for Georgia eighth-graders in all areas were above the national scores. Cox said middle schools "are doing a heck of a job."

Cox outlined the many responsibilities of the state school superintendent and of the Georgia Department of Education. She said an unofficial, but important, role for the superintendent is to have a vision for improving schools -- and to communicate that vision.

Cox said it is important to communicate "a sense of urgency" about the work ahead for schools and to "get people excited about that vision."

Cox said her biggest disappointment as superintendent was to face the economic downturn just when major strides were being made in education in Georgia. Schools were moving "full steam ahead" when the economic crisis hit -- causing most systems, including Coweta, to furlough teachers because of reduced state revenues, she noted.

"We've had the rug pulled out from under us because of the downturn in the economy," Cox said.

Cox and Morgan both suggested the economic strictures on Georgia schools are not over yet.

Morgan said legislators will face difficult choices when the Georgia General Assembly convenes in January. "We're going to have to make some tough decisions with the budget," she said.

"It's going to be a rough couple of years," Cox predicted. "I don't have a lot of hope to give you within the next two budget cycles in state education dollars."

http://www.times-herald.com/local/State-to-seek-Race-to-the-Top-funds-919031

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