This past week the State filed its application for “Race to the Top” funds from the Federal Government. The Feds have promised states, who present a proposal that seems to have promise, dollars, that is your dollars, for the implementation of those plans that they deem to have promise.

Washington did not apply for the first round and their application, 902 pages in length, may not be a contender in this round. The Obama administration has been pretty strong on three features that seem to have escaped the folks, all highly paid gnomes in Washington education, grasp. Obama and Duncan, Secretary of Education and basketball Obama team member, have been pretty clear about mechanisms that link teacher pay and promotion to the successes, or failures, of the kids that they are to be educating.

They have also been quite clear that the opportunity for others, than the establishment, (Charters) to improve education are a desired feature. Charters have been rejected in this state by the “voters” with help of a multimillion dollar campaign from the Washington Education Association in conjunction with the National Education Association.

A final feature, not possible in Washington, is the complete dismemberment of a school and starting over when the school has poor achievement records.

There is a clear pattern of “support” for the status quo in this state from the educational associations who continue to believe that simply paying more, and hiring more members for their association, is the pathway to success.

Missing in this 900+ page document is any reference to changing the students’, or parents, attitudes towards education.

I had lunch today with a friend who also tutors kids who have the unfortunate fortune to be enrolled in “Level 4 or 5” schools as defined by “No Child Left Behind.” I have been doing this for at least 4 years,and I believe she has as well. We have both been in some “home” situations that are almost guaranteed pathways to failure for children. While there are probably few that would disagree with this, there isn’t any stomach for addressing this problem. We were both discussing children who have “elected” not to participate in learning and have the bad luck to have parents that believe this is a choice the child can make. To be fair the schools aren’t supportive of any consequence for these decisions by either the child or parent.

This is the “Elephant in the Room!” “Student empowerment” is allowing our future, at great cost to the taxpayers, to trump what has long been considered the true “empowerment” of education. Why does this country, while spending more dollars on education than most of our competitors, have some very disappointing achievement levels?

Instead of trying to “Train the Elephant” to overcome this problem the writers of this proposal have embarked upon a plan to produce miracles. As an example they point out that the number of minorities that “take,” let’s not mention “pass,” Advanced Placement exams will be increased in the next four years. Perhaps they would need to have a real “Dutch Uncle” discussion with the minorities about WHAT they were going to do to make this happen if we really mean “pass” AP exams.

I feel quite confident that no amount of “Professional Development” will have an impact upon this situation. In a similar vein the proposal suggests that Black Math Achievement will move from its current 20.9% to 36.9% in four years! What if this isn’t a “priority” for either the students or the parents? No mention of what measures might be taken to bring these very reluctant parties to this table? I would suggest that this “leap” will clearly be a “Miracle” if it were to happen, and more money will not be a significant factor.

Looking at the list of authors of this 901 page “Miracle Manual,” I am struck by how few have seen the students that are now attending our schools and their priorities. I don’t think that money from the Feds will change their priorities significantly. What would surely change their priorities would be meaningful consequences, but then this is the “Third Rail” of educational politics.

I would predict that Obama and Duncan can see through the veil that masks the weakness of this proposal and Washington state is “forced,” to, oops a bad word, look at the educational situation in this state realistically. We are currently 43rd in high school completion. It will take something more than what appears in this proposal to change this I think.

These changes are likely to take place elsewhere.