— The Anniston Star on the state's failure to secure "Race to the Top" funds:
It was already apparent that Alabama's cash-starved public schools weren't going to get help from the federal Race to the Top competition. The state's application was so weak that it couldn't break into the money bracket.
However, few expected Alabama to finish dead last when the rankings were released. That's where Alabama finished; out of the 500 possible points, Alabama received 212.
Ouch. That's embarrassing.
Since the Obama administration announced the competition, Alabama's lack of charter schools has been at the center of the discussion. Gov. Bob Riley has feasted on this, and his supporters tried to get a charter-school bill through the state Legislature during the last session. The Alabama Education Association and others lobbied against it ? hard ? and won.
However, as this page has noted before, charter schools are not a requirement for Race to the Top success. Yes, they would help. But what is essential is cooperation between the governor, Legislature, the state Department of Education and the education lobby. That does not exist in Alabama.
As soon as the state received the recent bad news, the spin and excuses began.
The governor's office issued a statement listing evaluators' comments about the "lack of local teacher association support," the AEA's refusal to commit to the plan, and strategies the state submitted. Therefore, the governor's statement suggested, the blame for Alabama's embarrassing result lies squarely on the shoulders of the teacher union and its powerful head, Paul Hubbert.
Maybe so. But there is more than enough blame to go around. ...
The problem is a lack of leaders capable of seeing beyond their own narrow interests and philosophies.
Until these leaders start working together for the good of the children and those who teach them, Alabama is going to remain at the bottom.
-- The Associated Press
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