Our school district applies for many grants throughout the year, and those that we win help fund programs that otherwise might not be possible. We’re very excited now to be part of Ohio’s Race to the Top grant request.

Race to the Top is a $4.35 billion program that the U.S. Department of Education says is “the largest-ever federal competitive investment in school reform.” If Ohio is selected as one of the states to be awarded a grant, it’s estimated that the state would receive $200 to $400 million. Half of that would go to the Ohio Department of Education, and the other half to school districts that chose to be part of the grant request. Our district’s share would probably be around $400,000.

We can do a lot of work with that to help boost academic achievement. It could help fund pilot academic programs that could be expanded if they’re successful. It could help us do more training. We could expand our program of building data systems that measure student success in ways beyond standardized tests. Our teachers can use that data to guide their instruction in the classroom. I know none of those sound exciting or glamorous, but it’s the kind of work that brings results. It’s how teachers teach more effectively and students learn more.

Not all school districts in Ohio chose to be part of the grant request. Every district has its own needs and environment in which it operates, and I wouldn’t presume to criticize any decisions that others made. (I have more than enough to do just leading our own school district.) But I know that much of the media coverage about the Race to the Top program has focused on how it might affect teachers.

Part of the Race to the Top program is a requirement that schools develop a teacher evaluation system over the next four years that includes using students’ academic performance as one part of a teacher’s evaluation. Teachers everywhere have often been uncomfortable with that suggestion, because of the obvious reason that they have no say in which children they’re teaching. A room full of high-performing students might produce greater measures of academic growth than a class with students who aren’t as strong in the classroom, even though the teachers perform equally well. 

We met with our teachers and committed to them that we will work together to develop the evaluation system. I was very proud that they supported our participation in the Race to the Top grant application. It shows that they will always do what is best for our students.

The grant awards are for four years and begin with the 2010-11 school year. We expect to know in April whether Ohio’s grant request was successful. It will be very good news for our schools if it is.

Published in the Fairfield Echo, Jan. 28, 2010.