Turning “Persistently Low-Achieving Schools” Around

– How House Bill 176 conflicts with Race to the Top requirements

While Kentucky Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday’s testimony yesterday on House Bill 176 tried to make it seem like this bill is totally compliant with the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) guidelines, I don’t think that is right.

This table outlines the four possible “School Intervention Models” allowed and required by the final Race to the Top guidelines and compares them to the five, not four, “Options” that HB 176 proposes.


(Click on Table to Enlarge)

That fifth option in HB 176 could be a killer for the state’s entire application to Washington. It is a recipe to essentially do nothing new while RTTT is clearly intended to spur new and innovative ideas to turn the nation’s worst performing schools around. I’m sure plenty in Kentucky’s education community love this do nothing option, but the feds may not be so enthralled when it comes time to hand out the competitive RTTT dollars. If we mess this up, we could get nothing.