IL Officials Sharpen School Reform Tools as They Vie for Federal Money

December 26, 2009

Enticed by the prize of $4.35 billion in federal money for schools, Illinois and other states are polishing their academic credentials, legislating away obstacles to reform and turning on the charm.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan cautions that the unprecedented competition, called Race to the Top, will have "winners and losers," with perhaps 10 to 20 states qualifying for the first round of money plus the prestige of being recognized as a leader in public education reform.

Illinois is vying to be chosen in the first round. If successful, the state stands to gain between $200 million and $400 million during the next four years.

Education experts said this could be Illinois’ best chance to afford big-ticket reforms for public schools, with the state beset by financial trouble amid a lingering recession.

"There has never been a pot of competitive funds at this scale available to states in history," said Robin Steans, executive director of Advance Illinois, an education advocacy organization.

States will be judged on what they’ve done and what they intend to do to improve education. Those that want the money must commit to specific changes, such as beefing up academic standards, improving the lowest-scoring 5 percent of schools, building data systems to track a student’s performance from one grade to the next, adopting international academic standards and, most contentiously, linking teacher pay to student performance.

Entries are due in January with the first round of money awarded in April. States that don’t make the first cut may reapply in June.

The cash infusion would come on top of the $1.25 billion funneled to Illinois schools under the federal stimulus plan that took effect earlier this year.

Unlike the stimulus aid, which was used to plug a debt-ridden state budget last spring, the Race to the Top money must be devoted to reforming public schools.

While state officials eventually might have tackled hot-button issues like merit pay for teachers, the carrot of federal cash is pushing reform into high gear. All this comes before even a cent of the federal grant has arrived.

"These things have been done with the potential of future money being there," said Mike Griffith, a senior policy analyst with the Education Commission of the States. "On a cost benefit analysis, (Race to the Top) has been pretty effective."

To prepare, Illinois education of ficials joined 47 other states last May in mapping out common, rigorous learning standards for English and math in kindergarten through high school.

In July, Illinois lawmakers doubled the number of charter schools allowed here and demanded more accountability of their performance, two principles backed by the Obama administration.

In December, Gov. Pat Quinn appointed two dozen civic, education and business leaders to a task force intended to improve the state’s public education from pre-kindergarten through graduate school. Its first task? Strengthening the Race to the Top grant application.

"We want to get Illinois in that race and make sure that we get as much money as possible from Washington," Quinn said when he announced the panel.

And in January, days before the grant entry is due, state elected officials may consider legislation that would require school districts to weigh student performance when evaluating — and paying — teachers and principals. The nuances of mandating it are "tricky," acknowledged state Supt. Christopher Koch.

"Having legislation even discussed … that would potentially give you an edge" in the federal competition, Koch said.

Illinois Education Association Executive Director Audrey Soglin doesn’t close the door on linking the student achievement and salaries and said discussions are ongoing. But she wants to see an evaluation system that goes beyond the state’s standardized tests.

"One state test at the end of the school year, and the one we have now, is not acceptable," she said.

Evanston-Skokie School District 65, for instan ce, this year piloted a system that judges teachers on test scores and classroom teaching style. In Chicago, 30 schools this year will give a bonus ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 to every staff member, from the custodian to the principal, if overall test scores improve. Ten more schools are expected to join the pilot program next year.

National policy experts say it’s too soon to tell which states are the front-runners. Koch said he is not banking on any home field edge given Duncan’s and Obama’s local roots.

Steans views Illinois as a "bubble state." She said the state’s record of tackling many of the reforms backed by Race to the Top demonstrates Illinois’ commitment to improvement. Still, the state’s track record is thin.

"Nobody should count us out, but we’re hardly a shoo-in," Steans said. "We have not historically been viewed as a progressive education state, and it’s going to take time for people to appreciate that things are different now."

Tribune reporter Azam Ahmed contributed to this report.