Obama and his education secretary Arne Duncan have introduced a radical new way to do educational reform, called Race To The Top. Duncan has been given a large pot of money, and he distributes it only to those states able to prove that they're innovating in pursuit of higher standards. It's an imaginative approach that works by creating a big incentive for local authorities and schools to implement their own reforms, as opposed to trying to impose a one-size-fits-all agenda from Washington. But any policy throws up unexpected anomalies; the NYT reports on the case of a popular, effective, highly respected headteacher who has been fired so that her school can get some of that money:
Ms. Irvine was removed because the Burlington School District wanted to qualify for up to $3 million in federal stimulus money for its dozen schools.
And under the Obama administration rules, for a district to qualify, schools with very low test scores, like Wheeler, must do one of the following: close down; be replaced by a charter (Vermont does not have charters); remove the principal and half the staff; or remove the principal and transform the school.
And since Ms. Irvine had already “worked tirelessly,” as her evaluation said, to “successfully” transform the school last fall to an arts magnet, even she understood her removal was the least disruptive option.
“Joyce Irvine versus millions,” Ms. Irvine said. “You can buy a lot of help for children with that money.”
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