Every Thursday, REL-NEI highlights state-based resources, press releases, and news around the Northeast and Islands Region related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). For a listing of REL Issues & Answers Reports categorized under ARRA topics and domains, click here.
CT Lawmakers OK School Reform, Strengthen RTTT Application
On May 5th, the Connecticut General Assembly approved comprehensive education reform, passing legislation that will increase graduation requirements; give greater emphasis to math, science, and world languages; and create a process to tie teacher evaluation to student achievement, among other things. It also will strengthen the state’s chances of receiving up to $175 million in the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) competition, which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan is “thrilled” by the bill, according to the Hartford Courant. Read McQuillan’s letter to Connecticut educators on the subject.
Other Northeast states still looking to modify their teacher and principal evaluation systems in order to bolster their RTTT applications include Maine and New York. On May 11th, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) introduced legislation, backed by the New York State United Teachers and the United Federation of Teachers, that would establish a “comprehensive evaluation system for teachers and principals based on multiple measures,” including standardized test scores. “New York’s chances of winning Round 2 of the federal Race to the Top competition will rise dramatically if the legislature acts rapidly on this proposal,” said Merryl H. Tisch, Chancellor of the New York Board of Regents, in a press release. Read news coverage in The New York Times.
On May 12th, a stakeholder group established by Maine Gov. John Baldacci and representing teachers, principals, and other educators approved the first of several evaluation systems that will include a student achievement data component. This allows Attorney General Janet Mills to sign off on Maine’s $75 million RTTT application that “no barriers exist to linking student achievement data with teacher evaluations.” Learn more by reading a Maine Department of Education (DOE) press release or news coverage in The Portland Press Herald.
In addition, the Maine DOE has finalized the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that districts must sign to participate in the RTTT application. The MOU, along with the Scope of Work checklist, has been posted to the state’s RTTT website. Both must be signed and returned to the DOE by Friday, May 14th. The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) also has posted its RTTT MOU, which must be signed by district superintendents and, if possible, local school board presidents and teachers’ union leaders. Signed MOUs are due back to the CSDE by May 19th. Conference calls on the state’s RTTT Phase 2 application are scheduled for Tuesday, May 18th at 2:30 p.m. and Friday, May 21st at 10 a.m. Click here for more information.
On May 12th, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) posted slides and information about its second RTTT application, including its MOU. Phase 2 applications are due to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) on June 1st. ED has posted revised FAQs for the RTTT Fund and the RTTT Assessment Program.
On April 30th, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that School Improvement Grants (SIGs) had been awarded to New York and Vermont. New York will receive more than $308 million to turn around its persistently lowest-achieving schools, and Vermont will receive $8.5 million. Click here to learn more about SIG.
For more information, visit these ARRA-related websites across the Northeast and Islands Region:
U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/index.html
State Recovery Sites
http://www.recovery.gov/?q=content/state-local-tribal-and-territorial-resources
State Education Agency Recovery Sites
Education Week’s “Schools and the Stimulus”
http://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/schools-stimulus/index.html
