Brands and grants and post-NCLB

in no particular order

I spent the morning in another statewide Race to the Top summit with the Commissioner of Education (on which more later), so I didn't get right to this morning's news. There was a bit on the branding/reorganization/redeployment idea (which may or may not include meetings next week? They were passed by the subcommittee.).

You might have seen that there was a press conference called yesterday around the federal school improvement/transformation grants. There's some more information coming back on this tonight, but I was told earlier this week that it wasn't enough to vote on. As of nearly 2 pm today, we haven't received any information; no backup, no numbers. You might remember that heavily amended motion that was passed asked how the money could be spent (no signs from the state it could be spent, for example, on the enormously useful expansion of ELL), how it interacted with Race to the Top, how the state came to the decision on Level 4 schools, and what has to be done, federal money or no. It looks like that information will land on our desks tonight at 7? Maybe?

There's an interesting interaction here with the item I mentioned earlier, the Commissioner's district money. There's nearly half a million dollars reported out there, yet the classroom impact is minimal. The state doesn't have a good record of coming in and doing what we know works: providing outside services, getting class sizes (particularly kindergarten!) down, getting parents in the building and involved. They're very good at hiring contractors to come in and talk at roomfuls of adults. If the federal turnaround money is more of the same, what good will it do our kids?

Which brings us to today's On Point show on NPR on the re-authorization of ESEA. As I've said before, the Obama administration is proposing to the Congress that it be reauthorized along Race to the Top/STG/etc, lines. That would be the four part turnaround model, and much else brought to you from Chicago.

The superintendent on the show had one of the best suggestions I've heard yet on this. Susan Gourley, who is the superintendent in Lincoln, Nebraska, proposed that a fifth turnaround model be added. The federal administration has proposed that "Reward" districts be allowed a "research-based innovation model" for their schools. Gourley, along with the American Association of School Administrators, is proposing that this model be added to those proposed for schools deemed underperforming, thus giving them one that is based on actual research. A novel concept.