President Barack Obama mentioned Race to the Top (R2T) during his State of the Union Address. His plan is for this idea to replace No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
He said, “Race to the Top should be the approach we follow this year as we replace No Child Left Behind with a law that is more flexible and focused on what’s best for our kids,”
According to the president’s speech, the idea of R2T was developed by both Republican and Democratic governors throughout the U.S. The program is funded by the ED Recovery Act to the tune of $ 4.35 billion. R2T is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
States apply for funding by earning points in a variety of categories. There is a total of 500 points, all told. Because of the competitive nature of the funding, many states have taken action to ensure that they do well enough to receive their share of the money.
While NCLB had been widely criticized, the R2T grants have also been criticized especially by teachers unions as well as those who do not appreciate the federal government’s involvement in awarding the grants.
As he stated in the State of the Union, President Obama would like to model the federal government’s education funding after the R2T grants. However, there are many Republicans who oppose this funding. While NCLB needs to be changed, it isn’t clear if Race to the Top is the way that will end up winning bipartisan support.
© Copyright: News Today Online by Kate James at Gather.com
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