SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 2010
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POLITICS THE NATION
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In Race to the Top, it helps to wear the union label
Participation of teachers considered essential to leading entries in education program, but some question emphasis
Across the country, Hess pre-
by Nick Anderson
in dover, del.
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elaware’s surprising first- place finish in a fierce battle for federal school-reform dollars highlights a tension in President Obama’s education agenda: He favors big change, but he also prizes peace with the labor unions that sometimes resist his goals.
Obama often has challenged unions, even voicing support last month for a Rhode Island school board’s vote to fire all the teachers at a struggling high school. But his administration built the $4 billion Race to the Top contest in a way that rewarded applica- tions crafted in consultation with labor leaders. The announcement that Dela- ware had won about $100 million highlighted that all of the state’s teachers unions backed the plan for tougher teacher evaluations linked to student achievement. In second-place Tennessee, which won about $500 million, 93 per- cent of unions were on board. By contrast, applications from Florida and Louisiana were con- sidered innovative but fell short in part because they had less union support. The District’s bid, rated last among 16 finalists, was opposed by the local union. Labor leaders say reform plans work better when developed with the teachers who must carry them out. But critics say unions are of- ten the biggest obstacle to the changes needed to raise student performance. With more than $3 billion still up for grabs as the second round of the contest be- gins, a key issue is whether the ad- ministration’s emphasis on union buy-in will lead this week’s losers to trim their boldest proposals. “Experience has shown that re- form that starts with the premise that you can only go as fast as the slowest ship in the convoy tends not to go very far at all,” said ana- lyst Frederick M. Hess of the American Enterprise Institute. “I’m worried that it gives a funda- mental veto, or at least a lot of in- fluence, to the least reform-mind- ed participants.”
dicted, unions will gain leverage from this week’s outcome. A Flori- da union opposed to that state’s plan seized on the examples of Delaware and Tennessee, arguing that revisions with input from la- bor would give Florida “a second chance to get it right.” Union backing was no guaran- tee of success in the first round. Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky secured a slew of labor endorsements but came away empty. Still, documents posted on the Education Depart- ment’s Web site show that contest judges were skeptical about the viability of some state plans that were short on labor support. California, which had enacted major school-improvement legis- lation, finished 27th out of 41 competitors. Many local labor leaders withheld their signatures from the state bid. “The lack of union buy-in at this stage raises serious concerns about the ability of the state to im- plement the Race to the Top re- forms,” one judge wrote. If Cali- fornia reapplies, it could be forced to address that question. Experts debate the merits of la- bor peace. D.C. Schools Chancel- lor Michelle A. Rhee has overseen reading and math gains despite a labor situation so rancorous that teachers have worked more than two years under an expired con- tract. But other urban school lead- ers with better labor relations have also shown gains. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also chose to team with unions in a four-city initiative to promote ef- fective teaching that resembles Race to the Top. In Delaware, teachers unions
have joined forces with business executives, philanthropists and politicians in a reform movement that has been building for years. Collaboration, participants say, is not a matter of political conven- ience. And they vow that innova- tion will not be sacrificed. “In Delaware, you don’t have to choose between consensus and bold” action, Gov. Jack A. Markell (D) said. “In Delaware, you get both.” Markell and the president of
Group mails demand that governors quit
More than 30 receive letters; no threat of violence included
by Anita Kumar
More than 30 governors, in- cluding Robert F. McDonnell (R) of Virginia, received letters from an anti-government group this week demanding that they resign within three days or face removal from office. The letters from the group, Guardians of the Free Republics, do not threaten violence, accord- ing to officials in Richmond and Washington. No arrests have been made. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Mal-
ley (D) did not receive a letter, his spokesman, Shaun Adamec, said Friday. The demands come after an outbreak of harassment and van- dalism against members of Con- gress a couple of weeks ago. A Philadelphia man was charged Monday with threatening to kill U.S. House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) and his family. The FBI and Department of
Homeland Security warned po- lice across the country that the letters could provoke violent be- havior. “The FBI and DHS are not
aware of any immediate or cred- ible threat,’’ a Department of Homeland Security official said in a statement. “Although no specif- ic information to indicate vio- lence is intended as part of this plan, the bulletin was shared with federal, state, local and tribal partners to ensure they are equipped with the tools they need to better recognize behaviors and other indicators consistent with homeland security threats to pre- vent violence or criminal acts.” In at least two states, Utah and
Nebraska, security was increased after the letters were received. In Nevada, screening machines were added to the main entrance of the state Capitol.
Guardians of the Free Repub- lics aspires to restore the U.S. re-
public by peacefully dismantling parts of the government, accord- ing to its Web site. “The Restore America Plan is a bold achievable strategy for be- hind-the-scenes peaceful recon- struction of the de jure institu- tions of government without con- troversy, violence or civil war,’’ the Web site says. Bruce Hoffman, a professor at
Georgetown University who has studied anti-government groups for more than two decades, said the delivery of the demands — to so many governors — is unprec- edented.
“Given how emotional politics has become, it has to be taken se- riously,’’ he said. “On the one hand, it’s absurd. On the other hand, given the time it took to contact 30 governors, it’s not easi- ly dismissed.” Mark Potok, an editor at the Southern Poverty Law Center who tracks extremists and hate speech, said the group stems from the “sovereign citizen” move- ment, including those who do not believe in paying taxes or abiding by zoning or other regulations. Some contend that a person has not committed a crime if there is no complaining witness. In Virginia, the letter was re- ceived at the governor’s office in Richmond on Wednesday. It was turned over to the Virginia State Police, which sent it to the Rich- mond FBI office. The governor’s office released a
statement Friday morning that said the “the Governor and his family are secure.” Governors who received the
letters include Tim Pawlenty (R) of Minnesota, Jennifer M. Gran- holm (D) of Michigan, Bobby Jin- dal (R) of Louisiana, Chet Culver (D) of Iowa, Brad Henry (D) of Oklahoma and Mike Rounds (R) of South Dakota. The FBI expects that all 50 governors will even- tually receive such letters.
kumaranita@washpost.com
Staff writer Spencer Hsu and researcher Eddy Palanzo contributed to this report, which includes information from the Associated Press.
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A last resort, officials say, follow- ing federal policy, could be remov- al of the principal and at least half the teachers.
All of this strikes union leaders
as difficult for their members. “No one’s naive,” said Diane Do- nohue, president of the Delaware State Education Association. “This is going to be very challeng- ing work. Absolutely, we’re taking a risk.”
But Donohue said union lead- ers accepted the terms because they were guaranteed a voice in implementation and feared the consequences of not participat- ing. She quoted Dennis Van Roe- kel, president of the National Education Association, as saying: “I’d rather be at the table than on the menu.”
At Dover High School, there seemed to be as many fears as hopes about Race to the Top. “It’s exciting but a little bit
BOB HERBERT/THE NEWS JOURNAL
In Delaware’s winning proposal, which earned the state $100 million, students will be tested periodically to obtain an evolving record of achievement during a school year, instead of an annual snapshot.
Under Delaware’s plan, the
“Our teachers unions were at the table every step of the way,” state Secretary of Education Lillian Lowery said of Delaware’s plan.
the state teachers union traveled to Washington last month to pitch the plan to Race to the Top judges. With 126,800 students, Delaware offers a microcosm of public edu- cation challenges. Its schools serve the urban poor
in metropolitan Wilmington near Interstate 95, as well as rural and
immigrant students to the south. The state has shrunk racial achievement gaps significantly in the past decade. From 1998 to 2009, the disparity in national reading test scores between white and black eighth-graders nar- rowed more in Delaware than anywhere else.
state will launch periodic tests to obtain an evolving record of stu- dent achievement during a school year, instead of an annual snap- shot. It will pay for high school stu- dents to take the SAT college en- trance test and will hire “data coaches” to help educators put test results to work. It will also es- tablish formulas for satisfactory annual growth. Only teachers whose students show such growth will be eligible to be rated effec- tive — or highly effective, if stu- dents show more than one year of gain. Persistently ineffective teach- ers, with or without tenure, will be at greater risk of losing their jobs. Highly effective teachers will be eligible for bonuses of up to $5,000 to transfer to high-needs schools and up to $10,000 if they stay in such schools and continue to excel. The state will also pres- sure low-performing schools to improve or face major shakeups.
nerve-racking,” said Principal Gene Montaño. His school has a strong Advanced Placement col- lege preparatory program but re- cently has fallen short of achieve- ment targets for some disadvan- taged students, which could lead to interventions. “So what does that mean for
us?” Montaño said. “I don’t know.” Social studies teacher Thomas
Leighty vented in the hallway as his students were watching a his- tory video in the classroom. He said many teachers doubt that they can be fairly judged on test scores, even if data are handled carefully and other factors are taken into account. “What really gets a lot of us is
there’s nothing here about par- ents being accountable for lack of parental support, and student re- sponsibility,” he said. If test scores tank, he added, “this can’t be all my fault.” Backers of the Delaware plan
say teacher concerns will be as- suaged because in such a small state, there is no other choice. “Our teachers unions were at the table every step of the way,” said state Education Secretary Lil- lian M. Lowery. “It’s just the way Delaware gets things done. Com- promise is not a bad thing.”
andersonn@washpost.com
Army Corps of Engineers unit tightens contract standards
by Walter Pincus
The U.S. Army Corps of Engi- neers unit with major construc- tion projects in Afghanistan has set new standards for contracts, following a report from the De- fense Department’s inspector general saying that more than $20million in performance- award fees could not be support- ed.
The report, made available Fri-
day, says that the Army Corps of Engineers Middle East District had granted performance awards totaling approximately $20.6million for construction tasks in Iraq and Afghanistan worth $116.4 million. It says the awards were granted “without sufficient support, justification or assurance that contractors were paid award fees commensu- rate with their level of perform- ance.” In one case, the report says, “a single field evaluation report from an unknown source” was used “to support the award fee determination process.” In another case, an evaluation board did not explain what a contractor did to receive a high rating. In January, the engineers unit was shown a draft copy of the re- port and said it had already put a moratorium on the use of award- fee contracts. In a memorandum attached to the report, the unit acknowledged the problems. Joan F. Kibler, spokeswoman for the Army Corps of Engineers Middle East District, said Friday
that the unit now awards fixed- price contracts, “so award fees do not apply . . . [to] new contract awards.” The change in the contracting standards comes as the Corps is expected to step up activity in Af- ghanistan, with about 165 proj- ects costing an estimated $2.6 billion for fiscal 2010 and 2011, according to Army Col. Ronald N. Light, commander of the En- gineers Gulf Region. “The current surge in Afghani-
stan underscores [how] con- struction priorities change rap- idly in the region, and the mar- ket rewards those firms that are poised to react and adapt to those dynamic priorities,” Light said in a presentation in Febru- ary to the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement’s Military Construction Summit in Vienna, Va.
Light said that in the three months ending June 30, the Mid- dle East District expects to
award about 25 projects in Af- ghanistan, going from the $1 million to $5 million range to the $25million to $100 million range.
Some of those projects will be
central to the effort in southern Afghanistan, where U.S. forces are planning to secure Kandahar. Light listed three separate
$25million to $100 million proj- ects to be awarded to upgrade the Kandahar Airfield.
pincusw@washpost.com
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