Race to the Top

Today I participated in a webinar that highlighted the federal Race to the Top project- more stimulus dollars that will be granted to the most innovative and accountable States in the country. I am anxious to see how Illinois measures up in this first round of applications. Making data driven decisions is a key component- as is a State's ability to encourage charter schools and innovative programming.

Some of the components outlined involved using a growth model to measure progress- maybe the escalating AYP numbers- 77% this year- will give way to more realistic expectations?? Time will tell.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/index.html has updated information and will post the slides from today's webinar.