Katherine Mangu-Ward on the Eternal Recurrence of Race to the Top in the State of the Union
(Whitehouse.gov)
This year, in the State of the Union address, President Barack Obama touted a success in reforming K-12 education in America:
Race to the Top, with the help of governors from both parties, has helped states raise expectations and performance.
And it's true that Race to the Top has been a pretty good program. But it was ultimately a pretty small reform and the effects have petered out.
But that hasn't stopped the president from filing almost the entire K-12 portion of the education sections of his State of the Union addresses with a brag on Race to the Top, writes Reason magazine Managing Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward.
Every. Single. Year.