Louisiana Education Leaders Unite in Pursuit of Race to the Top

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December 28, 2009

“Over the last decade, Louisiana has made significant progress. Our state has become a national leader in education reform and innovation, thanks to the efforts and advocacy of many who have dedicated themselves to this important work. In fact, this past year, we saw districts and schools make historical gains” Pastorek said. “But despite our progress, there are still 215,000, or one–third of our students, who are performing below grade level. Louisiana must be willing to take bold steps to remedy this unacceptable circumstance. And less than a month from now, this state will do just that when we enter this national competition, with a proposal designed to aggressively improve every facet of public education through an ambitious plan to guarantee there is an effective teacher in every classroom across the state."

Among those in attendance today was Louisiana Federation of Teachers (LFT) President Steve Monaghan, who declared the association’s support for the state’s Race to the Top application and related reforms.

“Race to the Top may very well offer thousands of Louisiana children a once in many generations opportunity to break free of the shackles of poverty,” Monaghan said. “Whether it actually does dwells in the details and depends on the vigilance and involvement of all of us. The Louisiana Federation of Teachers and its members have a responsibility to make sure the dollars invested are not wasted.”

Governor Bobby Jindal expressed his support for Louisiana’s Race to the Top application and encouraged local districts to participate. The Governor also emphasized the administration’s aim to develop and implement a value-added teacher effectiveness model statewide over the next two years.

Governor Jindal’s enthusiasm for Race to the Top is shared by other state policy makers. Attending the press event today were State Representatives Steve Carter and Michael Jackson from the Baton Rouge area, as well as Representative Ricky Hardy from the Lafayette area. Carter and Hardy both serve on the House Education Committee. While House Education Chairman Austin Badon could not attend the event today, he provided a statement expressing his support for the state’s application and plan.

“I am in support of any plan that is targeted at meeting the educational needs of our students. And from my study of Louisiana’s Race to the Top plan, it appears that it would provide us with additional resources and effective strategies to advance public education in this state,” Badon said. “I am encouraged by the collaboration that we have seen around this effort. And as a state legislator, I am committed to doing whatever I need to do to assist in this endeavor.”

Although states are not required to participate in the federal grant program, states across the country are lining up to secure a share of the $4.35 billion grant. The grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to states that have demonstrated firm commitments to reform and implementation of proven best practices. State applications must be submitted to the United States Department of Education (USDOE) no later than January 19th. State recipients are expected to be announced in the spring.

Louisiana’s state Race to the Top program is also voluntary, and only local school districts and charter schools that choose to participate will be direct recipients of the funds. Charter schools and districts who want to participate must submit a signed Partnership Agreement by January 11, with approval from the president of their local board and the signature of their local teacher union representative, if applicable. So far, the interest among districts is strong.

As of Friday, December 18th, LDOE’s deadline to submit a Letter of Intent, 59 of Louisiana’s 70 school districts and 60 of the state’s 77 charter schools had confirmed their preliminary interest and prospective participation in the state’s Race to the Top application, including West Baton Rouge Parish. West Baton Rouge Parish Superintendent David Carona attended the event at McKinley today, and expressed a strong interest in participating in the state plan.

“We are tentatively on board,” Carona said. “There are still some questions that we need answered. A great deal of work and collaboration with local superintendents and others has resulted in a plan that is closely aligned with some of the key challenges districts and school leaders struggle to overcome daily. ”

Louisiana’s plan is designed to enrich the state’s human capital strategy. This includes the creation and support of alternative and traditional recruiting and preparation programs for school leaders and teachers, as well as the development and implementation of a value-added teacher evaluation program.

Through collaboration with stakeholders, LDOE’s is working to establish a tool to evaluate teachers, called the Comprehensive Performance Management System (CPMS) for teachers. The CPMS will include a state data system that will allow districts and schools to measure, support and evaluate teacher effectiveness through training tools and standardized information. Fifty percent of the teacher evaluation will be determined by student achievement growth data.

Along with the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, several national teacher unions have endorsed Race to the Top, including the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. And despite the fact that the Louisiana Association of Educators has expressed reservations about some of the specific components of the state plan, LAE President Joyce Haynes was on hand today at the event and expressed unity around Louisiana’s Race to the Top effort.

“The Louisiana Association of Educators stands in solidarity with Superintendent Pastorek and Louisiana’s education community as we pursue Race to the Top and the initiatives outlined in the plan,” Haynes said. “We still have some items to work through, but recognizing that we want to be part of the solution for solving some of the hurdles that impede our progress, we are going to remain at the table. I believe that working together we can positively impact outcomes and make a real difference in the lives of our students.”

The competition requires states to commit to educational reforms, including the implementation of rigorous standards and assessments, modernized data systems to increase data-driven decision making and quality instruction, the recruitment and support of top teachers and school leaders, and the intervention in schools that are persistently low-achieving. States that secure commitments from local school districts and charter schools and demonstrate a comprehensive plan to implement these reforms will be eligible for a significant portion of the funding.

“This opportunity challenges each of us to commit ourselves individually and collectively to embrace these bold initiatives and this unprecedented opportunity. We are fortunate that we have been able to engage the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and other key stakeholder groups throughout this process, and I want to thank Louisiana’s educations community, especially Mr. Monaghan and local superintendents, for the dialogue and consideration over the last several months. We look forward to continuing to work with groups and districts over the next few weeks to ensure there is clear understanding around the partnership agreements and that we consider all the various perspectives as we finalize Louisiana’s application,” Pastorek continued.”

“While we are inspired by the large number of districts who have expressed initial interest in participating, it’s important to point out that all districts and schools will benefit from Louisiana’s Race to the Top plan,” Pastorek said. “In the end, we recognize the specific requirements of our plan may prevent some of these districts from officially committing to our application. But again, we are confident that our plan will make a positive impact on every district, every school and every student in Louisiana.”