K-12 Curriculum Development

According to a recent article published by Education Week, "Forty states and the District of Columbia applied for the first round of $4 billion in the Race to the Top Fund competition, which pits states against each other for desperately needed money, bragging rights, and leverage to implement controversial education reforms such as merit pay for teachers."
 
Specific information and guidelines regarding Race to the Top funds are available on the U.S. Department of Education site at Race to the Top. 

The Race to the Top Application is 102 pages in length.
(see attached document below)

Race to the Top is authorized under section 14006 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  The purpose of the Race to the Top Fund, a competitive grant program, is to encourage and reward States that are creating the conditions for education innovation and reform; achieving significant improvement in student outcomes, including making substantial gains in student achievement, closing achievement gaps, improving high school graduation rates, and ensuring student preparation for success in college and careers; and implementing ambitious plans in four core education reform areas:

• Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;
• Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction;
• Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and
• Turning around our lowest-achieving schools.

In the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top Application, it defines "Common Set of K-12 Standards" as:

"A set of content standards that define what students must know and be able to do and that are substantially identical across all States in a consortium.  A State may supplement the common standards with additional standards, provided that the additional standards do not exceed 15 percent of the State's total standards for that content area."

Translation:
Even though the Common Core State Standards Initiative calls the standards, "common standards", the United States may be moving closer to National Standards.  In order to qualify for the Race to the Top funds, states must agree to develop state standards aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

States are struggling to purchase textbooks, pay for high-stakes tests, pay for teachers and other staff, and provide funding to LEAs.  Given the state of the economy, states appear to be "racing" for the additional funding, which is unprecedented in U.S. History.  It appears that states are willing to play the National Standards game if funding is attached.

Federal Government Role in Education:
U.S. Department of Education
According to the U.S. Department of Education, "Education is primarily a State and local responsibility in the United States. It is States and communities, as well as public and private organizations of all kinds, that establish schools and colleges, develop curricula, and determine requirements for enrollment and graduation. The structure of education finance in America reflects this predominant State and local role. Of an estimated $1 trillion being spent nationwide on education at all levels for school year 2008-2009, a substantial majority will come from State, local, and private sources. This is especially true at the elementary and secondary level, where just over 92 percent of the funds will come from non-Federal sources."

What Does the Constitution Say About the Role of the Federal Government in Education in the United States?

"The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution states: 'The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.' Since education is not mentioned in the Constitution, it is one of those powers reserved to the states. Of course, the United States Supreme Court can declare that something not mentioned in the Constitution is so closely related to something that is mentioned in the Constitution that the unmentioned power is a fundamental interest, which rises to constitutional protection. So far, the Supreme Court has not declared that education is a fundamental interest. Thus, states have plenary, or absolute, power in the area of education." 

Source:
http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/edu/ed370/federal.html

Discussion:
What are your thoughts on the Common Core State Standards Initiative?

What are your thoughts on the Race to the Top competition for Funds?