It is hard to say exactly what the direct effect on homeschooling the current push for more school data will have but the organizational power and money behind the effort says all parents should watch closely. An article published by Education Week gives us a look into the workings and thinking of eductional research:

New Head of U.S. Research Agency Aims for Relevance
By Debra Viadero

If improving the “rigor” of education studies has been the watchword for much of the work carried out by the U.S. Department of Education’s key research agency over the past seven years, “relevance” and “usefulness” seem to be shaping up as twin themes for the half-dozen years ahead.

At least that’s the message John Q. Easton, the new director of the department’s Institute of Education Sciences, is communicating as he speaks to national groups around the country. Five months into his six-year term, the 60-year-old Mr. Easton has perfected what he calls his “five-bullet talk” on his plans for the $617-million-a-year agency, founded in 2002. While not yet a hard and fast agenda, his presentation outlines his own goals for the direction the government plans to take in shepherding federal education research.

In their upcoming column Countering Problems Created by Research on Families (Jan-Feb/10) Larry and Susan Kaseman write, “most studies support the idea that parents and families are the problem and professionals and institutions are the solution. Such a conclusion arises NOT because it’s accurate but rather because research is financed and heavily influenced by a power structure that has much to gain by maintaining and expanding the roles of experts and large institutions.”

With that in mind another excerpt from the Education Week article:

Under Mr. Whitehurst, the institute’s first director, the agency moved early to increase funding for studies using randomized controlled trials and other rigorous methods in response to widespread dissatisfaction among policymakers and practitioners with the quality of education research.

The agency also created the What Works Clearinghouse, which vetted the research evidence on education programs and policies and made the results widely available on a user-friendly Web site.

Those and other efforts improved the agency’s reputation with federal policymakers from what it had been during the institute’s previous incarnation as the Education Department’s office of educational research and improvement.

But the studies issued by the IES yielded some disappointing results. Most of the education strategies tested were found to produce little, if any, effect on student learning.

In his talks, Mr. Easton, a veteran of the education research community in Chicago, has said that the field needs to know more than “what works.” Educators need to develop a better understanding of schools as organizations and how improvement happens in them, he believes.

Read the entire piece here. Follow Education Week’s Eye on Research here. And don’t miss the Kaseman’s column where they not only talk about the research industry’s impact and influence, but also points to research that supports families and the importance of parents.

Education Research

Nothing directly impacting homeschoolers yet, but.. But what really?

There are powerful forces at play with a vested interest in the institution of education. Couple calls for legislative reform with the common standards initiative, mix it up with the mad dash for the money, and homeschoolers can not afford to ignore these reforms, panic about them, nor play follow the leader figuring their interests will be taken care of.

U.S. Department of Education Opens Race to the Top Competition

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today released the final application for more than $4 billion from the Race to the Top Fund, which will reward states that have raised student performance in the past and have the capacity to accelerate achievement gains with innovative reforms.
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The application requires states to document their past success and outline their plans to extend their reforms by using college- and career-ready standards and assessments, building a workforce of highly effective educators, creating educational data systems to support student achievement, and turning around their lowest-performing schools.

The $4.35 billion for the Race to the Top Fund is an unprecedented federal investment in reform. Duncan will reserve up to $350 million to help states create assessments aligned to common sets of standards. The remaining $4 billion will be awarded in a national competition.

To qualify, states must have no legal barriers to linking student growth and achievement data to teachers and principals for the purposes of evaluation. They also must have the department’s approval for their plans for both phases of the Recovery Act’s State Fiscal Stabilization Fund prior to being awarded a grant.

The final application released today includes significant changes to the proposal released by the U.S. Department of Education in July. After reviewing responses to the draft proposals from 1,161 people, who submitted thousands of unique comments, ranging from one paragraph to 67 pages, the U.S. Department of Education restructured the application and changed it to reflect the ideas of the public.

“The public’s input on this application was invaluable to us,” Duncan said. “The comments helped us clarify that we want states to think through how they will create a comprehensive agenda to drive reform forward.”

States are after the money – an overview from Christian Scinece Monitor:

Schools sprinting to win Obama’s Race to the Top billions

And articles, editorials and opinions from the states:

Liftoff: CA State Senate Passes Race to the Top Education Reforms

Editorial: Don’t let propaganda and fear prevent Michigan from winning $600 million for state education
Bogus fears shouldn’t prevent adoption of reforms to gain $600 million for schools

Minnesota poised to get major federal education grant
Experts say the state’s history of innovation in education give it a competitive edge in the race for a slice of the $4.35 billion stimulus pie.

Rules for Race To The Top Funds Could Hurt NY

North Carolina Launches New Race To The Top Website
Source: Governor of North Carolina Posted on: 9th November 2009
RacetotheTop.nc.gov will seek input on educational innovation and reform.

State to pursue school reform grant
By Diane Knich – The (Charleston) Post and Courier

A sinking feeling about the ‘race to the top’
By Russ Dondero
The Forest Grove News-Times (Oregon)

Gov. Gregoire highlights local schools meeting goals of Race to the Top initiative

Wisconsin could be a contender: State lawmakers position the state to land a piece of Obama’s $4.3 billion education package

Most encouraging line (from the Governor of MI’s site): “The Obama Administration is requiring each grant submittal be signed by the state’s governor, state superintendent and education board chair.”

Race to the Top Final Application Released