A $4 Billion Push for Better Schools

Jul 23, 2009

President Barack Obama is leaning hard on the
nation’s schools, using the promise of more than $4 billion in federal aid — and the threat of
withholding it — to
strong-arm the education establishment to accept more charter schools and
performance pay for teachers, according to The Washington Post.

Today, Obama will officially announce the “Race to
the Top,” a competition for $4.35 billion in grants. He wants states to use funds
to ease limits on charter schools, tie teacher pay to student achievement and
move for the first time toward common academic standards. It is part of a
broader effort to improve school achievement with a $100-billion increase in
education funding, more money for community colleges and an increase in Pell
Grants for college students.