Duncan rewards Arizona

[Hannah Bell]

Arne Duncan has claimed sole discretion when it comes to awarding Race To The Top funding to states. "I look them in the eye to see if they are sincere," says the Ed Sec. He must have seen something in the eyes of Arizona's Gov. Brewer and Sen. McCain to push Arizona up from 40th to a finalist's position in the competition for a piece of the ever-shrinking federal funding pie.

Maybe it was the state's commitment to driving out Mexican immigrants from state schools under SB1070, that caught Duncan's eye. Or maybe it was their ban on minority studies.

Ann-Eve Pedersen of the Arizona Education Network says she can think of just one reason the economically depressed state was a surprise finalist in the second round of the $4 billion Race to the Top competition, after finishing 40th out of 41 competitors in the first round in March.“Maybe the federal government has taken pity on the state of education funding here." (Edweek)

http://michaelklonsky.blogspot.com/2010/07/duncan-rewards-arizona.html#comments

[saracat]

1. Maybe it is the fact that we have scandals regarding GOP Legislators owning

charter schools and siphoning off funds for themselves.This is gonna be swell for them!

[Catshrink]

2. And the fact that charters are virtually unregulated

there is very lax oversight.

http://www.azcentral.com/specials/special44/articles/0902charterfinance0902.html?&wired

http://arizona.typepad.com/blog/2009/04/more-charter-school-oversight.html

[saracat]

3. Interesting, no? But something that should have been "expected".

Just think how happy the GOP are gonna be! And those same legislators that passed th Immigration bill are going to get richer! Sheesh.

[Catshrink]

4. And the whole tuition tax credit scam

where the taxpayers pay tuition for rich kids at private schools. They know how to game the system and do. Rich Crandall is the heir apparent to the Senate Education Committee chair and he is gung-ho on this and charters. We're doomed.