ODYSSEYWARE

The Race to the Top, while generating much attention in its own right, has set the stage for a much larger debate about the shape of what legislation replacing or amending No Child Left Behind (NCLB) might look like. With its assurances for performance, mandating improving test scores and removing barriers to assessment, Race to the Top has forced many state legislatures, as we have documented on this blog for some time, to make some tough choices in order to receive federal dollars. With that, however, might be a better understanding of where this administration plans to take education over the coming years and what form a look of NCLB might take.

“There are 50 ways to fail” under the No Child Left Behind Act, the current version of the law, said Mr. Duncan, a critique he has raised in the past. But there are “very little, if any, rewards if you do a good job. … We want to put unprecedented resources out there on a competitive basis for those who are committed” to boosting student achievement.

In many ways, Race to the Top is just that: an incentive-laden approach to reform. It hearkens back to the old debate of the carrot versus the stick.

Although it is unclear when and how this debate will begin, it is clear that President Obama intends to modify NCLB, leaving a legacy of his own in the education realm. As many educators can attest, NCLB made some significant changes to how schools and classrooms operate, driving a substantial national discussion on education and its varying approaches based upon each teacher’s views. Yet another look at this law and the other overall national view of how children should be educated will likewise cause another discussion. We’ll be here to follow it and to provide our insight as educators for you!