Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Colorado involving local communities in federal education-reform process; how about your state?

In July, President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the Race to the Top competition for competitive grants to support education reform. The program uses a variety of measures to judge what schools are best overhauling their systems, including the level of community support for their plans. Colorado has taken this particular part of the competition very seriously, inviting the public to participate in the education reform conversation, Alyson Klein of Education Week reports.

So far at least 650 people have participated in some form, by attending a meeting or joining a working group, Klein reports. K-12 students are even participating in the meetings in addition to teachers, parents and non-profit organizations. Next month, Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien plans to visit some of the more remote districts in the state to sell them on Colorado's proposals and get their input. As with most political issues, the degree of reform in these plans may end up resting with Gov. Bill Ritter's re-election bid, Klein writes. (Read more)

To what extent are other states, or even individual school districts, involving communities in their Race to the Top initiatives? That sounds like a vital issue for community journalists to tackle anywhere outside Colorado.

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