Deal would turn down Race to the Top millions. If he plans to return “magic” to schools, I hope he can pull money from a hat.
I have a hard time believing any governor would turn down a possible $400 million in Race to the Top dollars but that is what GOP candidate Nathan Deal said today at a breakfast event.
When I heard Deal at the Georgia School Boards Association debate this summer, he pledged to restore the “magic of learning and joy of teaching” to Georgia schools.
If Deal plans to create magic, I hope that he can pull millions of dollars out of a hat rather than a rabbit:
According to the AJC’s Georgia Elections Central:
Former congressman Nathan Deal said that, if elected, he would decline the federal “Race to the Top” money for education that Gov. Sonny Perdue has so hotly pursued.
Said Deal:
“Race to the Top has standardardized curriculum,” Deal said. “I do not agree with anything that has strings attached.”
“I would say it’s probably not worth the money we’re going to receive,” Deal said. “In the overall scheme of things it’s not that much money. It sounds big but when you distribute it across every level of the education system, it’s not that big.”
But former secretary of state Karen Handel said she would accept the cash, if the state wins it:
“As long as we’re paying taxes to the federal government I think I have a responsibility to make sure Georgia gets its fair share,” she said. “We should not turn our nose up at it.”
She said she would want to be sure “the strings aren’t too much to accept,” but later said the strings she is concerned about involve what happens when the money runs out.
UPDATE: I am going to leave the commentary about Deal’s quick change of heart to you folks, but take a look at this Gainesville Times story. I would like to make this personal note about Deal’s spokesman Brian Robinson, with whom I spent many a wonderful early evening talking Georgia politics when he worked for the AJC with me in editorial. At the time, Brian was in his twenties, and wise beyond his years about Georgia politicians from time spent in the General Assembly and from growing up in the state. This story would have left him, Pete and me chuckling. Somehow, I don’t think Brian is laughing right now:
Republican gubernatorial candidate Nathan Deal has changed his tune on federal “Race to the Top” money.
After initially telling business leaders at a candidate forum today that he would reject the federal money for schools, Deal’s campaign said Tuesday afternoon that the candidate spoke on bad information.
Georgia is one of 18 finalists in the second round of the federal school reform grant competition. The state could share in some $3.4 billion if selected.
Originally, Deal thought the grant program would force the state to adhere to national education standards and said he wouldn’t take it.
Deal’s campaign spokesman, Brian Robinson, likened participation in the program to taking free drugs from an illegal drug dealer.
“The thing with this federal money is it’s like a drug dealer: the first one’s free and then they’ve got you hooked and you play by their rules,” Robinson said.
While Robinson said Georgians deserve their fair share of federal tax money, he said it should not come with strings attached.
He said Georgia’s teachers are “adamantly opposed” to a “one-size-fits-all Washington bureaucrat solution.”
But later, the Deal camp reneged, saying Deal had learned the money did not come with a federally mandated curriculum.
“He is not going to return the money,” Robinson said. “That program will already be in place when he takes office.”
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107 comments Add your comment
bootney farnsworth
August 3rd, 2010
12:30 pm
Deal is an idiot.
Sonny 2.0
EnoughAlready
August 3rd, 2010
12:35 pm
Deal and Handel need to learn that BEGGERS can’t be choosey. And I take issue with any governor who is willing to turn down money that will help my child. They are making enormous cuts in education and then have the audacity to turn down funds.
WHO are these people? One doesn’t have kids and the other can afford private school.
d
August 3rd, 2010
12:38 pm
Maureen – honestly, what will we get for that $400 Million that’s worth it? RTTT is flawed and even though there is no way I would ever vote for Nathan Deal, he’s right on this one.
d
August 3rd, 2010
12:42 pm
Also, when school districts have budgets approaching or exceeding $1 BILLION, how much good will this money do? $400 Million is less than half of DeKalb’s operating budget and it’s not like DeKalb would even get a significant amount of that money.
Teacher #3
August 3rd, 2010
12:42 pm
I’m sure Mr. Deal had the magic when he was teaching…
I know he used some black magics while he was a congress man …
bootney farnsworth
August 3rd, 2010
12:47 pm
I’m not saying RTTT is worth it, but to just reject it out of hand..?
bootney farnsworth
August 3rd, 2010
12:49 pm
maybe if RTTT would kick back to Deal’s family business he’d be
more inclined to support it.
In The Arena
August 3rd, 2010
12:55 pm
If we accept this money, Georgia schools lose control of their own curriculum. Washington decides. There’s no magic or fun in that.
Maggie's Daughter
August 3rd, 2010
1:06 pm
Crack cocaine, heroin, meth. It’s Obama’s addictive substance to lure the states into his arms — and the federal government. Removes the last vestige of state independence and local say over what is taught our kids. But are we a collection of states anymore anyway?
Teacher Reader
August 3rd, 2010
1:11 pm
Race To The Top money will cost districts more than they will get from any grant. We see this time and time again with the mandates given to schools through federal dollars. I don’t care for Deal, but he is right on with this. Until the government gets out of telling states how to educate our children, our education systems will never improve.
EnoughAlready
August 3rd, 2010
1:16 pm
The people running the states are idiots, so much for blaming the federal government. 97% of the issues in Georgia were created by our local government. 99% of the issues in education are created, substantiated and encouraged by our local politicians as well.
Dr NO
August 3rd, 2010
1:17 pm
Nathan was once a Democrat. Love Handels isnt my prefered candidate butt better her than King Lipstick and Fence straddling Deal.
Dr NO
August 3rd, 2010
1:18 pm
This is just more ObaMagic. Dont take the cash!!
d
August 3rd, 2010
1:21 pm
@EnoughAlready — the problem is that we don’t let the people who actually know what is going on to run our own profession. Politicians haven’t been trained or taught the finer intricacies of childhood development or pedagogy, yet they love to tell me how to do my job. That being said, why do we let this happen to one profession and not all? Can you imagine the AMA putting up with this? I’d love to see the response if, for example, the politicians decided that open heart surgery should happen via a patient’s back….
oldtimer
August 3rd, 2010
1:22 pm
The money will not necessarily improve schools. It will give the federal government even more say so in our school with more and more mandates. We already have to many undeerfunded federal proposals.
ccaquabat
August 3rd, 2010
1:55 pm
In case you guys haven’t heard, our state curriculum is changing to a curriculum where many states have the same curriculum. Sonny Perdue chaired this committee and changes are being instituted within 1 year. Washington does not and will not control our schools, sorry. It is controlled by our DOE and the governor. So, thank them when it comes to the new math curriculum.
Classroom Educator
August 3rd, 2010
2:32 pm
Good for you, Mr. Deal. It is about time that someone stood up for the classroom educators. The RTTT money is pure bribery. Your stand for teachers is refreshing!
Teacher Reader
August 3rd, 2010
2:37 pm
The federal government has created the standards that the states are adopting. Yes, they are dicating what is being taught in our schools and our children continue to suffer from an inch deep mile wide curriculum.
Cpt. Math
August 3rd, 2010
2:39 pm
You guys are uninformed, as an educator myself, the RTTT will not change anything in Georgia. The Common Core Standards Georgia is adopting in 2012 will have all of requirements needed to collect under RTTT.
I’ll simplify it for you. Let’s say you work making Sarah Palin bobblehead dolls, you make 10 bobbleheads dolls an hour. A new boss says if you make 10 or more bobblehead dolls, you’ll get a $50 bonus. Do you turn down the money?
The works already been done and changes applied. Take RTTT and help get our class numbers down below 36.
Teacher #3
August 3rd, 2010
2:40 pm
I get this sneaky feeling that all those people who are against the “common” curriculum are the ones that insist we only use English since we are the United States of America. Why bother with a common language – let each state choose their own language???
Teacher Input
August 3rd, 2010
2:40 pm
That money has strings tied to it. Smart politicians will say, “No thanks.”
Cpt. Math
August 3rd, 2010
2:48 pm
The strings have already been taken care of. The only reason Deal’s not talking the money because its an Obama initiative. Thanks Deal, placing politics above the needs of our kids is not what we need.
Maybe if he could attach a string all the way to his garage, he would take the money.
Nothing We Can Do
August 3rd, 2010
2:53 pm
I’m pretty sure John Barge is against taking the money too.
South Ga Teacher180
August 3rd, 2010
3:04 pm
Go read HB 907, HB 400, HB 1209, SB 427: These bills collectively ensure a solid architectural design to allow the Obama Administration’s ( and every other past president) urban education agenda. This allows the federal government to convince our state education leaders that money will always “be there” to educate the children of GA. These bills (all together) allow our classrooms to be nationalized without any real research on student achievement…they would rather use words like UNIFORMITY to those that are not teaching to brainwash you all in thinking that taking the money is good….And who researched all of this you might ask? Why the “EXPERTS” did…and remember most of them have not taught in a K-12 class before and more importantly, in the NCLB era.
I hate to know that most of the people will probably accept these UNIFORM (whatever!) standards are nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing and then the Obama administration and the rest of the urban education elites will be right in our classrooms….I guess rural GA does not have a chance because the only state that exists is bordered by I-285.
GA Teach
August 3rd, 2010
3:05 pm
RTTT is only going to be used to implement RTTT…..Period….The money is over a four year period…..Only little over 100 million a year……We do not want RTTT period…..The founds will not directly help students or be able to be used to hire teachers….the end..
Mom of 3
August 3rd, 2010
3:05 pm
This is the first thing I’ve heard from a politician in a long time that actually makes sense! Schools have way too many “hoops” to jump through. We need to get back to teaching our kids to be thinkers, not how too bubble in on a test, so that the schools can check off 1 more gov’t criteria.
williev2000
August 3rd, 2010
3:24 pm
Wow, so many people don’t know the facts about RTTT. The Common Core Curriculum (standardized curriculum) is SO in line with what is already going on in Georgia. In fact, Georgia is the leader!!!
Most teachers are afraid of what some call “merit” pay. Teachers, have you heard of unique Student Test ID numbers? Georgia already has the ability to track the teachers that are making progress with students. “JQ Public” is supportive of teachers being held accountable for the progress that their students and supporting those teacher that make through via some kind of merit plan. Teachers are still blaming parents for students not making progress and do not look inward to themselves.
AJinCobb
August 3rd, 2010
3:25 pm
@Teacher Reader,
“The federal government has created the standards that the states are adopting.”
Sonny Perdue specifically says that’s not the case. The new standards were created by a consortium of states. What’s your evidence that Perdue and the other governors are lying?
Attentive Parent
August 3rd, 2010
3:35 pm
Ga Teach is correct except that the state itself can only keep 50%. The remainder gets divided up among the participating districts based on size and Title 1 formulas.
That $50 million per year at the state level will go to fund the programs described in the application and creating new software to track student performance.
Plus since Common Core through its Model Teaching Standards is pushing the kind of learning tasks whole classroom, teach yourself activities that have turned Math 1,2, 3 into such a nightmare,
where will Georgia get the millions needed to remediate when the consequences of building the entire curriculum around a discovery model become clear?
Nikole
August 3rd, 2010
3:36 pm
Common Core standards are the future. There is no harm in expecting all students to meet the same standards.
RTTT money will not help us lower class sizes or help us as individual teachers in any way.
Take the money, but don’t expect the state of Georgia to do much good with it. Our issues with funding are our STATE’S fault.
Writer Gal
August 3rd, 2010
3:37 pm
What possibly could it hurt to have strings attached. I mean, really. If the feds are in charge of state cirriculum, won’t we be able to get rid of the NEW MATH in the high schools since no other state uses it? All those millions and a chance to get rid of Kathy Cox’s fuzzy math? Sounds like a dream deal to me. From what I have seen a cirriculum change is greatly needed. The current one in place everywhere actually rather–excuse my language–sucks!
catlady
August 3rd, 2010
3:43 pm
RTTT will not filter down the the children. Not accepting it will have no effect on the kids, just the DOE syncophants/camp followers and local BOE “consultants.”
Nathan Deal will say anything to get elected. Takes notes from Roy Barnes in his best “throw mama under the bus” policymaking.
To return magic to the schools, Mr. Deal will probably demand that “TEACHERS work harder!” That won’t cost a cent, and we will fire the ones who don’t do it!
Robert Ripley
August 3rd, 2010
3:44 pm
“I have a hard time believing any governor would turn down a possible $400 million in Race to the Top dollars”
Yeah and I have a hard time believing a crackhead would turn down a payday loan, but I’m sure as heck not going to criticize them when they do.
RTTT is nothing but the moral equivalent of a payday loan and as such should be rejected.
Teacher #3
August 3rd, 2010
3:45 pm
Common Core State Standards are not created by the Federal Government. They are simply what we should expect students to learn at each grade level (K-8) and by the end of HS (9-12). There is nothing in the CCSS that suggest a particular way of teaching.
Sticking up for Georgia
August 3rd, 2010
3:46 pm
Race to the Top is a federal takeover of our state school system. I am surprised that Obama thinks that he can buy us for $400 Million. He is attempting to deceive Americans by saying that he is providing money to improve the education of our children. He is placing in with the one- time short lived infusion of casha permanent theft of our rights. It is our right to educate our own children in our own schools.
HS Teacher
August 3rd, 2010
3:56 pm
Oh come on…. is anyone really shocked? The republican agenda regarding public education has been out there for a long time. They plan to totally ruin it ‘by any means necessary’ in order to convince voters to turn to their voucher system.
So, Deal would turn down the money while Handel would not. However, both of their agendas regarding education is the same. Remember that ALL republican candidates are required to take a pledge to adhere to the republican platform.
VOTE FOR ANYONE BUT A REPUBLICAN!
Maureen on the run
August 3rd, 2010
4:00 pm
Maureen you begged off the tough questions yesterday, citing a long day. Yet a new day arrives and again you dodge.
-You said you do not believe this investigation will be a whitewash. Given that almost half the members of the blue ribbon panel that “investigated” were people who did business with APS, and given that at least one board member publicly stated it was “impossible” that Dr. Hall knew of cheating, do you stand by your statement that no whitewashing took place? Are you ready to state categorically for the record that no one involved in this investigation is compromising the truth in an effort to minimize the damage to Dr. Hall?
-You routinely bashed the Clayton County school board in the past for acting “unprofessionally” and being “unethical” because they couldn’t get along.
But what about an APS board that gets along, and in a cool, calm, “professional” manner stacks the deck of the blue ribbon panel with people who have a built in conflict of interest, due to their business dealings with APS? Is it ok in your book for them to act in this manner, as long as they are “professional” about it and in agreement with an ethical shortcut?
As bad as the Clayton board didn’t get along, isn’t it bad that every APS member “went along” with stacking the blue ribbon panel with people who serious conflicts of interest?
Yet why haven’t you called for even so much as a sanction, or even an investigation into the APS board, much less a resignation?
You claim you are free to comment as you wish with no interference from above. Yet if you won’t use your editorial voice to call for at least a sanction of the APS board, for acting in unison to stack the blue ribbon committee with people your own paper reports have a conflict of interest, aren’t you making a mockery of your claims that your focus is what’s best for children?
Please state, for the record how stacking the deck with people who do business with APS is any less an “outside influence” than what happened in Clayton.
HS Teacher
August 3rd, 2010
4:04 pm
@Williev2000
You totally miss the entire point about why teachers don’t like merit pay. Please try to understand this rather than be blinded by the total BS.
A great and wonderful teacher may use all of the latest and greatest techniques in their room. They may sing, tap dance, whatever. However, if the students in her room are not motivated to learn for a variety of reasons (haven’t been fed dinner for a week, parents are fighting and about to divorce, whatever) then it doesn’t matter what she does. And, you expect her pay to be dependent on the results of the student’s test results?
Name one other job that does this – please!
A medical doctor gets paid whether his patient lives or dies. A dentist gets paid whether the tooth lives or dies. However, would you support giving them ‘merit pay?’
Teachers have no control over anything outside of the classroom. Some influence CAN be there but it is certainly not 100% of what causes a student to become motivated to learn. Yet, you want to hold the teacher 100% accountable?
Is it ‘fear’ that teachers have for merit pay? No. It is reason and a sense of what’s fair.
HS Teacher
August 3rd, 2010
4:06 pm
@Williev2000
Here is another profession that isn’t paid merit pay: a stock broker. They get their commission regardless of the performance of that stock. A customer could lose out on tons of money, but that stock broker will get their commission when that stock is bought AND when that stock is sold.
HS Teacher
August 3rd, 2010
4:09 pm
@Maureen on the run….
Haven’t you been here long enough to know that Maureen refuses to own up to anything she believes yet cannot prove? I think she graduated from the Rush and Hannity school of journalism.
Georgia Teacher
August 3rd, 2010
4:12 pm
Why would anyone turn down a big boost for education? If expectations and standards are “strings attached”, then let’s hope Mr. Deal never has a real job where he has to obey rules and procedures to succeed. The idea that Georgia knows any more about education than 49 other states, especially given its poor academic rating, is just ludicrous. Even Republicans should be able to see beyond their rhetoric of “individual/states’ rights.” Let Mr. Deal refuse to drive on federal highways, send letters through the US Postal Service, and turn down Medicare and Social Security when his time comes–then he would at least have a coherent position.
oldtimer
August 3rd, 2010
4:24 pm
I would be willing to bet the RTTT money will go to high payed administrators to manage the money.
The Truthinator
August 3rd, 2010
4:25 pm
There are 2 two versions of the Common Core Standards. States can choose the traditional Algebra 2 Geometry and other classes, or they can jumble them up like the Georgia DOE did. Either way the standards are aligned and the money is there for the taking.
I do not agree that he is doing this because he wants to get elected. I think he’s playing to the GOP educational program which is to graduate students that can only qualify to work a low wage job thus enslaving them to their big money corporations.
Maureen on the run
August 3rd, 2010
4:34 pm
@HS teacher
I’m sure it would disgust her to consider the possibility, but when it comes to holding herself accountable for defending her point of view, she does have a lot in common with Hannity and Limbaugh.
It was Maureen’s own words that said this investigation would not be a whitewash. Now that we know the committee was stacked with members that have a “fatally flawed” conflict of interest because they do business with APS, will Maureen stand by that statement?
Maureen also talked repeatedly that school boards should be held accountable for their actions. Now that her own paper has pointed out the conflicts of interest the APS board willingly engaged in, will she be consistent and call for sanctions?
Or will upper echelon AJC politics get in the way? And speaking of upper echelon, will Julia Wallace come on here and state for the record, that none of the higher ups at the AJC have had any communication with Edu-PAC members, or members of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce concerning how the AJC will report on this story?
Mike
August 3rd, 2010
4:38 pm
This is funny!
Our boy wonder superintendent up here in Hall county, Will Schofield, who is Deal’s friend, neighbor as well as his wife’s boss, has already signed Hall County up for Race to the Top if it comes through. In fact Schofield was on the team that developed the RTTT application. Wonder how that is working out?
Why ask why?
August 3rd, 2010
4:50 pm
“Why would anyone turn down a big boost for education?”
Why Georgia Teacher? The same reason people turn down crystal meth. The long term consequences aren’t worth the temporary high.
This in the moral equivalent of crystal meth, except that at least with crystal meth, you don’t have to fill out a bunch of BS forms.
Real Education
August 3rd, 2010
4:53 pm
Karen Handel and Roy Barnes support a federal takeover of our schools, giving Washington control of the curriculum and placing much more emphasis on merit based pay, evaluated based on a significantly increased amount of testing.
Nathan Deal wants to put the control in the hand of the local school districts. How could local control possibly hurt when Washington has all these destructive plans in place for Georgia schools?
john konop
August 3rd, 2010
5:00 pm
WHICH DEAL IS IT?
……If You Didn’t Like Nathan Deal’s Principled Stand Against Race To The Top Dollars, You’ll Be Delighted To Know It Only Took 8 Hours For Him To Take A Different One……
http://www.peachpundit.com/2010/08/03/if-you-didnt-like-nathan-deals-principled-stand-against-race-to-the-top-dollars-youll-be-delighted-to-know-it-only-took-8-hours-for-him-to-take-a-different-one/#comments
who is more destructive?
August 3rd, 2010
5:01 pm
A. Republicans – local ones, not necessarily those in DC. B. Local School Boards? Or C. Obama administration?
I think A and B have already proven that they ARE very destructive of public education.
td
August 3rd, 2010
5:03 pm
I knew all the liberal teachers on this blog would throw their own profession under the bus instead of voting against your party. You will get what you deserve and please do not come on here, or anywhere else, when you can not do not get any raises because the kids do not dramatically increase in a test score. Money will be tied directly to numbers and the leadership will be able to manipulate the numbers to fit their own agenda and not pay the teachers.
catlady
August 3rd, 2010
5:08 pm
So now, according to the Gainesville Times, Mr. Deal’s mouthpiece says he misspoke on RTTT. That is priceless. Like I said, throw your mama under the bus to get elected!
The Truthinator
August 3rd, 2010
5:09 pm
The local school districts will do well. Who runs the school districts anyway? Our local district is run by 2 bankers, and 3 mill owners. They will make sure there are many of applicants for low paying jobs in their plants. The demand for these jobs will increase and wages and benefits will decrease for the working class. However, the graduates will know plenty about the theory of creationism. Sure, the local “professionals” will do well.
Nikole
August 3rd, 2010
5:10 pm
@ td—-Your argument assumes that we even agree with being paid based on test scores, and if you have read enough of this blog, you would have a million examples of why we (most teachers) don’t agree with that stance.
Maureen Downey
August 3rd, 2010
5:23 pm
@Catlady, I just added the Gainesville Times story to the blog. You gotta love Georgia politicians.
HStchr
August 3rd, 2010
5:37 pm
Seems Deal has the same problem as Sarah Palin- he doesn’t listen to his advisors BEFORE he makes public statements. ROFL
I also like the fact that, in the end, the money will already be here and dispersed by the time he’d be sworn in anyway. Not much he could about then, is there? This is typical conservative “play-it-tough” talk. He wouldn’t send the money back if he could.
As much as I hate to admit it, Roy is likely to win by a landslide if this is the best the republicans have to choose from.
td
August 3rd, 2010
6:19 pm
Nikole- I have been on this blog for a long time and I have read the comments from a great deal of teachers. If we accept RTTT and support the politicians that want to implement it then within 5 years longevity raises will be gone and you will be paid the same way the rest of state government is paid. When the legislature feels like giving you a COL raise and the COL will be tied to your evaluation. Your evaluation will be redone to a tool that looks at production. How are they going to measure production in a classroom? The only way is to look at the results (test scores) of the students. BTW: the local school system will be able to set the what amount of progress will receive what amount of money. Let us say a 50 point increase in the class average = a 5% raise, 25 point increase = 21/2%, 10 points = 1%. Now if your class stays the same then you will be placed on probation or work plan with no raise and if your class decreases then it is out the door because this is a right to work state.
If you do not believe me then just copy and paste these notes and come back in 5 years and see what happens.
catlady
August 3rd, 2010
6:38 pm
Ms. Downey, So we know who Deal is beholdin’ to! I don’t love idiots who waste our time getting “educated.”
Economicwoes
August 3rd, 2010
6:40 pm
Anything Alvin W. supports has strings. ALvin saves money by not paying/reporting worker compensation claims, GCPS is self insured.
Alvin saves money by putting para-pros in special ed. classes instead of fully certified teachers. Same thing in his tech. department, no college degree, that’s okay, get the college degreed person to do your job for you.
PETRA
August 3rd, 2010
7:04 pm
Do you guys know that not all school districts are directly connected to the RTTT funds, if received? “Twenty-six local school districts have signed on to partner with the state in implementing Georgia’s Race to the Top plan.” Check with your local school officials to see what those you elected have agreed to do. Most are so inept, they probably do not know what the district has done. There is no federal, mandated curriculum; the common core Georgia Performance Standards are aligned with the former Georgia Performance Standards. There is very little difference.
SSTeacher
August 3rd, 2010
7:04 pm
The current Governor and previous State Superintendent claimed that the Common Core Standards were not that different from the state of Georgia’s current standards. Since the governor chaired the “consortium” that created the standards, it is not a stretch to see why there is such a similarity. An independent study gave Georgia Standards the same score as the Common Core.
My question: If Georgia ranks near the bottom of the states when they do the comparisons, why would any other state want to follow the Common Core standards? Massachusetts Standards were ranked much higher than the Common Core, yet they want some money, so they are willing to lower their standards for short-term money.
This whole thing reeks of political control. The money is a smoke-screen…it will blow away in the near future, and what we will likely see is that there are strings attached – strings that make local systems and teachers nothing more than puppets of a national curriculum that can be more akin to indoctrination than education. I resist governmental indoctrination (regardless of the party in power) when my alternative could be debating ideas, questioning notions, and actual critical thinking.
HS Teacher
August 3rd, 2010
7:52 pm
td – What?? You assume all teachers are ‘liberal?’ And, you think that all teachers have a ‘party?’
Please report back to planet Earth before posting again!
flipper
August 3rd, 2010
7:53 pm
Deal has my vote.
South Ga Teacher180
August 3rd, 2010
8:18 pm
@ williev2000
August 3rd, 2010
3:24 pm
You are not reading the blog you are spouting out the information that was presented to you in a faculty meeting or at a curriculum meeting…look at this from a deeper stand point…if you read the bills I referenced around 3:05pm today and you read the white paper released from the SBOE …you can see that this was already in place and now they will convince us all that what we are currently doing does not work…the have “fixed it” to where we as teachers will buy in by overwhelming us with data that makes our kids in Georgia look stupid therefore tell teachers that they are not doing their job!!! Stop drinking the RTT, IE2 and Charter Kool-Aid!! Wake up my fellow teachers, you students will be robots soon.
@ AJinCobb
August 3rd, 2010
3:25 pm
CORRECT BROTHER/SISTER!!
And they are gonna spend millions of testing dollars to create a test that our kids will fail so that teachers are not doing their job and can cut their pay to the point that they will leave the profession all together…, but we are doing it for the kids right? Tell the bank that when we cannot feed our families and pay the house payment.
@ Attentive Parent…I wish more parents were like you…you are on the money!
@ AJinCobb
August 3rd, 2010
3:25 pm
Are you basing your decision on what the experts are telling you the word UNIFORMITY…personally and professionally I would like to see some data research done on schools that adopt the RTT and follow them for 5 years to see if they increase student achievement. So whoever is State Super, needs to push back against the funding until real results come in!!
@catlady…you are wise! RTT is the end game for our students.
@Teacher #3
August 3rd, 2010
3:45 pm
Yes they were…the hired people like Kathy Cox, who are easily manipulated by Washington think tanks by way of UNESCO….so you are right, they did not create them, but the sure as heck paid to have them drafted….can you say lots of money is being spent on test creation at the expense of the American Tax Payer.
Mike
August 3rd, 2010
8:51 pm
Good lord. The idiocy in Hall County runs deeper than even I thought.
Mike
August 3rd, 2010
9:14 pm
The really funny thing is, if I am reading the RTTT application right, Deal was right the first time. One of the conditions is an acceptance of the national standards or common core ( along with merit pay etc). It is just that GA has already jumped on that band wagon ahead or irregardless of RTTT.
South Ga Teacher180
August 3rd, 2010
9:36 pm
@Mike
August 3rd, 2010
9:14 pm
(Ga Gen. Assembly)HB 907, HB 400, HB 1209, SB 427 have set the stage for all of this…in 2008, SB 427 was passed when President Obama was not president yet….hmmmm Ga is the testing ground and always has been…WOW, one has got to think other hands are in the cookie jar, and they are leaving cookies behind for us to eat laced with poison.
Mike
August 3rd, 2010
9:41 pm
Sounds about right.
From what I am hearing the change of direction with this is more due to Deal not realizing how much in the hunt for RTTT his home county school system is.
Strange days. Wonder if his wife will ever have to worry about low merit pay as a Hall County teacher? I’m betting no.
Is Maureen Scared To Shoot Dat Ball?
August 3rd, 2010
10:25 pm
I think that the previous poster is correct…when it comes to the Atlanta Board of Education, Beverly Hall, Edu-PAC, the Altanta Chamber of Commerce, and the AJC Political-Financial Agenda, Maureen Downey is indeed scared to shoot dat ball.
HC
August 3rd, 2010
11:01 pm
Deal had it right the first time.
Lots of federal strings in Race to the Top above and beyond the National Standards. Deal sort of just threw teachers under the bus by supporting it regarding merit pay and several other issues.
Here is the link to the application – take a look
http://gov.georgia.gov/vgn/images/portal/cit_79369762/155733684Race%20to%20the%20Top%20App.pdf
Really do have to think he didn’t realize just how far into the push for RttT the Hall County School System is and reversed when he found out. Schofield has already committed the system to it if it comes through as one of the 26 districts in support of it. He is also one of the planners and writers of the GA RttT application.
This makes no sense in a county that is as conservative and pro local control and less big government as the Gainesville-Hall community.
One more thing that Deal had right the first time: There is a stipulation in the RttT application that links it to Common National Standards and Curriculum (The GA Dept of Education just did it early to setthe stage for RttT).
From page 57 of the application:
(B)(1) Developing and adopting common standards (40 points) The extent to which the State has demonstrated its commitment to adopting a common set of high-quality standards, evidenced by (as set forth in Appendix B)— (i) The State’s participation in a consortium of States that— (20 points) (a) Is working toward jointly developing and adopting a common set of K-12 standards (as defined in this notice) that are supported by evidence that they are internationally benchmarked and build toward college and career readiness by the time of high school graduation; and (b) Includes a significant number of States; and (ii) — (20 points) (a) For Phase 1 applications, the State’s high-quality plan demonstrating its commitment to and progress toward adopting a common set of K-12 standards (as defined in this notice) by August 2, 2010, or, at a minimum, by a later date in 2010 specified by the State, and to implementing the standards thereafter in a well-planned way; or (b) For Phase 2 applications, the State’s adoption of a common set of K-12 standards (as defined in this notice) by August 2, 2010, or, at a minimum, by a later date in 2010 specified by the State in a high-quality plan toward which the State has made significant progress, and its commitment to implementing the standards thereafter in a well-planned way.8 In the text box below, the State shall describe its current status in meeting the criterion. The narrative or attachments shall also include, at a minimum, the evidence listed below, and how each piece of evidence demonstrates the State’s success in meeting the criterion. The narrative and attachments may also include any additional information the State believes will be helpful to peer reviewers. For attachments included in the Appendix, note in the narrative the location where the attachments can be found. Evidence for (B)(1)(i): A copy of the Memorandum of Agreement, executed by the State, showing that it is part of a standards consortium. A copy of the final standards or, if the standards are not yet final, a copy of the draft standards and anticipated date for completing the standards. Documentation that the standards are or will be internationally benchmarked and that, when well-implemented, will help to ensure that students are prepared for college and careers. The number of States participating in the standards consortium and the list of these States.
Evidence for (B)(1)(ii): For Phase 1 applicants: A description of the legal process in the State for adopting standards, and the State’s plan, current progress, and timeframe for adoption. For Phase 2 applicants: Evidence that the State has adopted the standards. Or, if the State has not yet adopted the standards, a description of the legal process in the State for adopting standards and the State’s plan, current progress, and timeframe for adoption.
I guess Deal supports this now?
td
August 4th, 2010
12:27 am
HS Teacher: I did not say all teachers are liberal. I said all the liberal teachers on this blog. If you do not think there are not a great deal of liberal teachers on this blog, then I sure hope you do not teach social studies in HS. BTW: If you read polling data you will see, that besides Barnes re election, a large majority of teachers vote democratic. I will also inform you that I spent 5 years in the school system and can tell you first hand that the vast majority of teachers were either left leaning or non political. I saw very few right leaning teachers that would stand up and be proud of that fact.
Concerned 1
August 4th, 2010
5:34 am
Good grief, these comments…to really know if a teacher has made progress in a classroom as far as standardized tests are concerned, YOU NEED A standardized PRE-TEST. All students do not start at the same point.
Mike
August 4th, 2010
6:27 am
Check out this morning’s Gainesville Times update Maureen.
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/154/article/36106/
hate to say I told you so.
Maureen Downey
August 4th, 2010
8:16 am
@Mike, I saw that yesterday and add it to the blog. Several folks have posted comments about his change of heart if you look back a bit on the comments.
Maureen
DoubleDEALing
August 4th, 2010
8:58 am
I just read the updated story from Gainesville Times. Deal flip-flopped on the issue after hearing from the superintendent in Hall County. The Gainesville City superintendent that is quoted in the paper makes a lot more sense when looking at RttT. Why didn’t he consult her or others?
I don’t think I like the fact that Mr. Deal seems to be retracting a more principled view of local control in order to go along with the local superintendent that is way to personally vested in the RttT to be able to see what is really best for the boys and girls in Georgia. This cronyism made him lose the respect of a lot of people today..
Republican
August 4th, 2010
9:21 am
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
DoubleDEALing
August 4th, 2010
9:48 am
It should read “way too”
double zero eight
August 4th, 2010
9:54 am
What we are doing in Georgia obviously is not working as we rank near the bottom in most categories. Deal or Handel need to develop a comprehensive education plan that is more than just polished rhetoric. We should not be forced to put our children in private schools in some
districts considering the amount of taxes that we pay. Georgia has too many school districts. Carrollton is separate from Carroll County, and
Marietta is separate from Cobb County. Has there really been significant improvement in our schools the past 20 years under the leadership of a democrat or republican? Insanity can be defined as
continuously doing the same thing and expecting different results.
If the money is awarded, will the students benefit? That is the question.
Mike
August 4th, 2010
10:31 am
@Maureen
I realize that. My point is the article changed very substatially overnight. It now indicates Deal changed his position after speaking with 1 person – the Hall County Superintendent.
And the info he received from the Super seems to be skewed since he and the district are already hip deep in the RTTT bid.
HS Math Teacher
August 4th, 2010
11:21 am
If there was a way to stop socially promoting kids from grade-to-grade, you would see most of our problems remedied, including behavior. How can you even talk about merit pay, when a 9th grade teacher has to start out with around 30 to 50% of their kids who are well below grade level? This is especially worrisome when you’re talking about math, in that the courses are sequential, and the lowest track of education offered in high school is the rigorous integrated math.
Politicians and Educrats do a lot of fancy dancing around the problem; however, they are only nibbling at the margins of the problem. The real cancer is social promotion.
South Ga Teacher180
August 4th, 2010
11:53 am
WOW…we do not need Handel or Deal! Vote for the independent in Nov. because voting against Barnes is the only thing left to do and we have to stand up for conservative principles and Deal and Handel are not conservative enough…they are Rhinos!!!
Attentive Parent
August 4th, 2010
12:24 pm
Anyone else wonder about the Deal comment that he became more comfortable as he learned RTT was not tied to a certain curriculum.
Who provided that assurance? Why?
In fact if you look at the participating district’s signed agreements, they had to promise to teach and conduct prof devt consistent with the Ga Instructional Frameworks.
Now under Common Core they seemed to have obligated themselves to follow those Model Teaching Standards we have been discussing for several days.
Mike
August 4th, 2010
1:25 pm
@Attentive Parent
The answer to your question, quoted from the updated Gainesville Times article I linked to above
“Deal corrected his position on the grant after a conversation with Hall County Schools Superintendent Will Schofield, he said.
Schofield said he was “taken aback” by Deal’s initial position but talked to the Republican from Gainesville on Tuesday afternoon.”
Seems that Deal spoke to one person with an agenda.
Attentive Parent
August 4th, 2010
1:47 pm
It doesn’t really make sense though that Schofield would make such an assurance. In becoming a participating district he had to promise to implement the curriculum in a particular way and to train teachers in using those methods.
It sounds more like a convenient excuse to use to support a 180 degree change in just a few hours.
It’s so pesky to have voters who have actually read the RTT application and the regulations and Standards and accompanying documents.
I think the correct answer is no Rep candidate wants to be blamed if Ga fails to win that money. The average voter doesn’t know it’s paid over 4 years and may well be costlier to implement than the amount received.
What position makes the most sense for a low information voter?
john konop
August 4th, 2010
3:44 pm
We have openly debated issue on her blog. Maureen and I disagree on math 123 and multi-track verse single track education. Yet on other issues I do find agreement with Maureen like the many times she has pointed out the overreaction to issues that happen in school by administrators.
Maureen has always let everyone express what they think on her blog. And she reacts very quickly to updating information as seen on this post. I e-mailed her about the change via Deal she quickly responded that she was all over it and was updating the blog.
It is ok to express your difference of opinion with Maureen but the personal cheap shots are uncalled for.
Maureen Downey
August 4th, 2010
3:50 pm
@MIke, I would not be surprised if there weren’t other comments made to the campaign, if not to Deal personally. I also know that the Hall super is held in high regard and was one of the people Perdue considered for the school chief job. I think he is considered a potential superstar — Will Schofield.
Richard Woods
August 4th, 2010
4:09 pm
Since the Carter administration promoted the federal Department of Education to a cabinet level position, what have we as states received in return? How has education improved with the billions of recycled tax dollars and legislation known as No Child Left Behind? We do have a great system of meaningless standardized testing that drives education.
What can we expect with RttT? We will get more recycled tax dollars with strings attached, a new administrative office to add to our DOE budget, more dependence on standardized testing, more federal control over education and merit pay for teachers and school administrators. It is interesting to see how Georgia’s RttT application bypassed the state legislature’s rejection of merit pay. I am sure the local school systems that signed on to this did not pass that bit of information along to their teachers. It must have also been an oversight not to tie the pay of superintendents and central office personnel to our grant application.
The bottom line is that RttT will not improve education. We will still have a curriculum that does not allow students to master the basics; our curriculum is too broad with very little depth. We will continue to have a one diploma fits-all path and high school Math 1-4. Teachers will be marked as the educational scapegoat and the need for parental support and responsibility will be ignored. You will not find any reference or need to address the presence of a safe and orderly school environment. Our focus will ignore what is truly critical for student performance and school improvement. I also expect that more and more teachers will be leaving the profession and that fewer individuals will take on this responsibility.
If money were the issue, we would have some of the brightest and most educated students of any country or state. As a fourteen year veteran of the classroom, I often only had a chalkboard, textbook, and my God given talents and gifts to work with. My students did very well and most have become successful in life. I have also seen students in other countries have far less to work with and excel where our students have not. The results of both of the above illustrations were due to properly focusing on what really works and matters in education. As I said during the campaign trail, “If we keep doing what we have been doing, we are going to keep getting what we have been getting.” If Georgia receives the RttT grant and we keep electing politicians instead of statesmen, expect to keep getting what we have been getting.
Attentive Parent
August 4th, 2010
4:29 pm
John-
I wasn’t taking pot shots at anyone. I do think the proffered explanation for the shift doesn’t make sense for the reasons I described.
I think there has been a tendency for the blog to go out of its way to emphasize any candidate who is concerned about RTT as if it’s per se unreasonable. I noted that when there was a similar post about John Barge’s position.
It does seem as if the Rep candidates fear being held politically accountable if Ga fails to win in Round 2. Given the coverage to date that’s not an unreasonable fear.
RTT and Common Core were specifically designed as lures and they have proven to be highly effective so far.
Anytime you have needed funds on one side and detail on the other, it’s hard to get a principled position through the noise. Some of us feel very betrayed though by the positions our Republican Governor and State Super took on what they were willing to advocate for as long as there was money available at the end.
For example PRISM cost local districts far more in new bad textbook purchases and retraining for Math 1, 2 , 3 than what the state received. Let’s apply cost-benefit analysis on whether federal grants are worth it.
john konop
August 4th, 2010
5:03 pm
Attentive Parent I was not referring to you. In fact I would vote for you to run the schools in our state. I was referring to comments like this below.
HS Teacher
August 3rd, 2010
4:09 pm
@Maureen on the run….
Haven’t you been here long enough to know that Maureen refuses to own up to anything she believes yet cannot prove? I think she graduated from the Rush and Hannity school of journalism.
Mike
August 4th, 2010
5:04 pm
@Maureen
If that is our definition of a Superstar then education in Georgia is in much more trouble than anyone thinks.
Many people in Hall can not wait until Schofield is out of here. Closed Hispanic elementary schools, insane amounts of travel money paid to good friends against state regulations, struggling high school students transfered to an alternative school just days before graduation to improve graduation rates, over 140 teachers laid off and publicly called ineffective when there was no indication that they were, the list goes on.
On second thought, he would be a perfect fit for ol Sonny. I hear they both like to fish.
rosie
August 4th, 2010
5:46 pm
What choice do we have if all the gubernatorial candidates are for RTTT? Who will I vote for if I am against RTTT?
DoubleDEALing
August 4th, 2010
6:30 pm
Good question, Rosie. Deal just lost my vote.
Attentive Parent
August 4th, 2010
6:36 pm
Maybe a good question for Deal, Handel, and Barnes as well as the State Super candidates is how much flexibility will the districts have to decide what works best in the classroom and for their teachers and students.
Obviously APS prefers a constructivist, learning activity, inclusive classroom approach. Fulton looked at its ITBS scores and decided explicit instruction with examples first and then applications works better for its students.
Would any candidate require all districts to adhere to the Model Teaching Standards for example?
There was a conference in DC last year called “A Penny Saved” that went over ways to get more for the education dollar. It pointed out just how expensive differentiated instruction in a classroom is because of the personnel involved vs more of a prerequisite knowledge and skills grouping.
How do the candidates regard such flexibility?
If the Justice and Ed Dept see inclusive classrooms as a matter of federal civil rights, will Georgia back up individual districts or simply roll over and say whatever you think is best?
East Hall Parent
August 4th, 2010
6:54 pm
Maureen, Just who holds Schofield in high regard? No teacher or parent I know does.
john konop
August 4th, 2010
7:23 pm
We should demand whoever wins that Attentive Parent is put on the state school board!!!!
Maureen Downey
August 4th, 2010
8:15 pm
East Hall Parent, He is held in high regard by legislators and I would assume by school boards as he was one of the presenters at the Georgia School Boards Association meeting. He is a great speaker. Why don’t the teachers and parents like him?
Maureen
East Hall Parent
August 4th, 2010
9:11 pm
Various reasons. Teachers I have talked to say they have trouble trusting him, that he says one thing but actions taken don’t line up with what is said. Several say they are scared to speak out or share worries because they know people who have been retaliated against. Many I know and have talked to at ball games say they are scared they will lose their jobs over not making AYP or being seen as not team players for some reason.
I have heard he is a good speaker to but that he is very arrogant in person. I have only seen him speak on a video about the closing of Jones and he just seemed angry that the lady was questioning him about it.
I have tried contacting him about problems at my middle child’s school but never got any reply. I have heard this complaint from several parents. There are new programs and schools for gifted and high achieving students but nothing for the other kids. The closing of Jones Elementary was a big problem in the way it was handled and most of the kids there are now being sent to a school that did not make AYP where Jones always did. Now there are rumors of using it as a school for troubled elementary kids. A lot of teachers have been let go and he called them poor teachers in the Times. I know several of them and they were good teachers, just young. The thing about the travel money someone mentioned is well known around the county as a fact. He defended it as a bonus but no one else in the county has ever had such a bonus. He also admitted in the Times that the principal that he gave it to was a good friend. One teacher who lives in our neighborhood said she had never seen him in the school at all.
I guess it boils down to people not trusting he is interested in the kids and teachers, just politics and new things like charter schools that seem to exclude kids with not as much home support and such. He is seen as a politician and not a school person. I guess that is why the legislators like him?
Attentive Parent
August 4th, 2010
10:09 pm
Nobody may be monitoring this thread anymore and this is about RTT and the money stream, not Mr Deal.
In our ongoing follow the money, Pearson (the huge textbook publisher who also co sponsored the Model Teaching Standards) is buying Americas Choice-one of the companies to develop the new national assessments.
In fact it’s the new high school assessment and Americas Choice was the expensive Dekalb junket with stimulus funds story.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2010/08/acquisition_news_in_the_world.html
Seriously- we should all remember when it comes to RTT and Common Core.
If you are not on the gravy train, you are paying for the gravy train.
And probably the clean up effort to boot.
South Ga Teacher180
August 5th, 2010
12:14 am
Mr. Woods…you are right. Our curriculum is an issue and was set up to be compatible with the SBOE’s assessment to brainwash our leaders into thinking the RttT will increase competition…the government cannot do this. Just look at the post office.
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