Virginia Tomorrow

In the Race to the Top funding for education reform that’s part of the Obama Administration’s stimulus package.

It’s the second major rejection that Virginia’s received in the past two months.

First, high speed rail.

Now, education funding.

It’s obvious that there was no Cavalier Kickback or Dominion Purchase as part of the deal that sent Tim Kaine to the DNC.

Yet Race to the Top dollars were, in my mind, always a long shot.

Arne Duncan and the Obama administration’s perspective on K-12 reflects what I would call the

Big City Mayor Perspective.

One that’s been encouraged, endorsed and funded over the years by major American foundations

Particularly the Gates Foundation

According to this outlook,

The schools are generally failing and major reforms

Charters, Merit Pay, Breaking up union strangleholds

Are necessary experiments to give kids, especially those living in economically disadvantaged circumstances, a real chance at succeeding.

This isn’t the outlook that Virginians have, in general, about their public schools.

Overall, our schools perform very well in most national comparisons.

Just last year, we were named the best state in which to raise a child.

We have a strong track record of Virginia-style school innovation:

Incredible Governor’s Schools

Specialized middle and high schools within the public school system that provide parents and kids with interesting choices

A genuine statewide system of minimum standards through the SOL’s.

The Achilles Heel of the Virginia system has been the underperforming districts that have yet to come up to snuff and that have often resisted reform.

In the end, the administration’s criteria for Race to the Top funding gave little weight to where Virginia outperforms

(In fact, there is a little discussed issue of whether states have to “adopt” federal standards or “align” with federal standards to receive Race to the Top funding)

 And placed a heavy emphasis on where Virginia is weakest- charters and teacher accountability through merit pay and differential compensation.

Governor Bob McDonnell hopes that his charter school proposals can address this deficiency.

With the agreement of Virgina’s major educational associations and the support of former Governor Wilder, former Secretary of Education Dyke, Delegate and former Petersburg Mayor Dance,  McDonnell hopes that more extensive use of charters will position Virginia more competitively for the second round of funding.

He may well be right.

But in tough economic times, with or without additional federal dollars, working to make measureable improvements in the twenty worst performing schools in Virginia wouldn’t be a bad gubernatorial goal.