Teacher Incentive Fund…Honest Islas, And Has The Bulldog Lost Her Bite?

Eduwonk may have the wrong beef…I’ve been grumbling quietly, and not so quietly, that it’s a shame the Bush Administration folded so fast and only got $100 million for its Teacher Incentive Fund rather than the $500 million they had originally sought. It’s especially frustrating since it’s the only thing approximating a big idea from the Bushies on education in quite some time. Turns out, at least says the rumor mill, that this may be the wrong direction to look in…apparently some behind the scenes confusion about the program as applications are being reviewed now…stay tuned…

Also, on the TQ front, where’s the beef? Bulldog Bess Keller’s Ed Week write-up of the most recent round of teacher quality plans from the states is more kitten than bulldog! It gives the impression that the states are doing a pretty good job when in fact they’re gaming the system to varying but often ridiculous degrees. And, most states have to redo at least some elements of their teacher quality plans so it’s hard to see what’s such good news here to warrant the happy talk headline and first few grafs? But, buried at the bottom is a moment of candor from René Islas who handles teacher quality at the Department of Ed who more or less agreed with the Ed Trust! That’s newsy, no?

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