"Race to the Top" or "Race to the Flop?"

Last Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan released the final application for the Race to the Top fund, a revision of the proposal released by the Department of Education in July. Race to the Top is a federal grant that will award pieces of more than $4 billion to states who “have led the way in reform and will show the way for the rest of the country to follow,” says Duncan. Though, in theory, it is good to allow states to spread their figurative wings in creating their own reform, it is a bad idea to turn reform into a competition. Instead of calling this a “Race to the Top,” the Department of Education should reconsider and call it “Another Bad Attempt to Reform Education.”

This $4.35 billion dollars is an unprecedented amount of federal sponsored money for reform, especially education, which is too often put on the back burner. Since there is this huge amount of money to be spent on education, it is imperative that all states get at least a portion of the money. Instead of turning it into a contest, where the top performing states get the most money, it should be divided up amongst the states based on population. The larger states should get a bigger cut of the four billing dollars. However, the government wants states to use this money to implement change, and just handing them the money will in effect, keep them from doing just that.

It is important that at least some of the money is conditional to keep states from using it without actually making any changes to their systems. I would propose the same type of competition for at least a portion of the money, but there should be a base amount given to every state to give them a jump start in changing their education systems. With at least a small portion of money, states will be better able to do the necessary research and start up programs for reform. Then, once every state has had an equal opportunity to get programs going, the rest of the monies can be rewarded based on the quality and effectiveness of said reforms.

If the government insists upon making this a competition, it should at least begin with a level playing field. Not every state has the means to start up programs without initial financial help. The way I see things going right now, is that the larger, more financially stable states will be able to provide the best reform programs and will receive the most “Race to the Top” funding, while states who need the money more will be unable to really participate. It is a vicious cycle. The states without enough education funding will not receive any of this money, and things will not change, while the big states with more money are just going to get more money.

Though I am excited to see our government finally instituting education reforms (the last time anything major was done was in 2001 with the No Child Left Behind Act, and we all know how well that worked out), I just wish that they would make a few changes first. Let’s give every state a chance to make some change, and finally fix our evident problem with education. Now that this program has already been started, I am excited to see if it actually works. I am guessing that we are going to see rich education states just get richer, without actually seeing very noticeable change. But, there are always surprises.

Marching band is Physical Education

I recently read that in many school districts across California, it has been determined that classes such as marching band, JROTC, cheer, and others, no longer qualify for physical education credit as it is outlined by the National Association for Sport & Physical Education (NASPE). However, classes like marching band may better fulfill these standards than regular physical education courses.

It is absurd to believe that marching band does not fulfill every one of the six standards outlined by NASPE. According to the National Organization for Music Education (MENC), members of marching band participate in warm-up calisthenics, endurance training, and marching for miles. Not to mention that some students carry instruments weighing over twenty pounds!

Although I never played in the marching band, I have two older brothers who were heavily involved in the band. I used to watch them perform on the weekends, and in one Saturday they would perform a thirteen minute routine, and march several miles in a parade. Not to mention the numerous hours of practice they would have each week to prepare for these events. My older brothers would come home from practice, and events exhausted.

Not only does marching band give students the opportunity to participate in this high level of physical activity, it also allows for leadership. Both of my older brothers became section leaders and one was even given the role of assistant drum major. But even on top of all the hard work and dedication that marching band requires, there was still plenty of time for fun. These students become a family, and if you were to ask any student who participated in the program, they would more than likely tell you that marching band was the highlight of their high school career.

Now, thanks to NASPE, and the physical education teachers who are pushing to eliminate this, and other similar programs, from receiving PE credit, these programs are in jeopardy. However, there is now legislation in Sacramento that will allow these classes to continue to be substituted for PE credit. If passed, assembly bill AB351, co- authored by Assembly Members Mary Salas and Fiona Ma, will allow students enrolled in marching band, JROTC, cheer, and other similar courses to be exempt from taking physical education courses. Because these courses are academically challenging, physically demanding and provide important leadership skills, they should qualify for PE credit.

This bill has already been approved by the California Assembly Committee on Education, and is to be heard by the state assembly in the near future. The San Diego Unified School District grants its support for this bill, and I think that it is important for others to join in their support as well. If this bill does not pass, it is possible that these enriching activities may no longer be enjoyed by students. We all need to band together, to help this bill get passed, for the sake of these programs, and the students who participate in them.

http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/template.cfm?template=publications-nationalstandards.html

http://ab351.org/

http://www.menc.org/v/band/does-marching-band-physical-education