THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

________________________________________________________________________FOR

BACKGROUND ON THE PRESIDENT'S TRIP TO MADISON, WISCONSIN

DISCUSSION WITH STUDENTS WITH SECRETARY ARNE DUNCAN

JAMES C. WRIGHT MIDDLE SCHOOL

1:00 PM CDT

The President and Secretary Arne Duncan will meet with approximately 40 students at James C. Wright Middle School, one of two public charter schools in Madison, Wisconsin. The group of 6th, 7th and 8th graders was chosen based on teacher recommendation.

RACE TO THE TOP ANNOUNCEMENT

JAMES C. WRIGHT MIDDLE SCHOOL

1:30 PM CDT

The President will deliver remarks to students, parents, teachers, school officials and state/local leaders at James C. Wright Middle School on strengthening America's education system and putting the interests of the nation's students first. In coming weeks, states will be able to compete for a grant from one of the largest investments ever made in education - over $4 billion - the Race to the Top Fund. These grants will be made available to states committed to transforming the way we educate our kids so that they can develop a real plan to improve the quality of education across the nation.

The audience will be composed of approximately 500 Wright Middle School students, parents, teachers, and school officials as well as state and local leaders. Secretary Duncan will also be in attendance.

PARTICIPANTS

- Principal Nancy Evans will welcome students, parents and invited guests.

- Ari Davis (6th grade) will lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

- Miko Jobst (8th grade), Laura Sumi (7th grade), and Erika Meyer (orchestra teacher) will perform the National Anthem.

- Governor Jim Doyle will introduce the President.

BACKGROUND ON JAMES C. WRIGHT MIDDLE SCHOOL

The mission of the Wright Middle school is "to educate all students to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence required to participate fully in an evolving global society." A public charter school established in 1997, the Wright school is the smallest and most ethnically and economically diverse middle school in Madison (38% African-American, 37% Latino, 13% White, and 86% low-income). The school also has a significant population of students with disabilities (22%) and English language learners (39%), and outpaces both the school district and statewide average achievement for both student subgroups.

Wright offers a core curriculum of language arts, social studies, math and science at each grade level, and provides enrichment courses in physical education, music, art, and technology. All grades at the school participate in a social action project focused on the environment at the sixth grade level; the economy at the seventh grade level; and government at the eighth grade level. Among the school's signature reforms are a small and tailored instructional program; bilingual resource specialists (Spanish and Hmong languages); an academic acceleration program in literacy to support struggling 6th and 7th graders; and a mentorship and afterschool homework program.

Wright is also one of three middle schools in Madison that partners with the University of Madison in a teacher preparation program through an innovative model that pairs new teachers with veterans and delivers professional development and ongoing support.

***

FACT SHEET: THE RACE TO THE TOP

Promoting Innovation, Reform, and Excellence in America's Public Schools

"America will not succeed in the 21st century unless we do a far better job of educating our sons and daughters… And the race starts today. I am issuing a challenge to our nation's governors and school boards, principals and teachers, businesses and non-profits, parents and students: if you set and enforce rigorous and challenging standards and assessments; if you put outstanding teachers at the front of the classroom; if you turn around failing schools - your state can win a Race to the Top grant that will not only help students outcompete workers around the world, but let them fulfill their God-given potential."

- President Barack Obama

July 24, 2009

Providing a high-quality education to every young American is vital to the health of our nation's democracy and the strength of our nation's economy. In a 21st century world, education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity and success - it is a prerequisite.

The Obama Administration is committed to reforming America's public schools to provide every child access to a complete and competitive education. President Obama recently presented states with an unprecedented challenge and the opportunity to compete in a "Race to the Top" designed to spur systemic reform and embrace innovative approaches to teaching and learning in America's schools. Backed by a historic $4.35 billion investment, the reforms contained in the Race to the Top will help prepare America's students to graduate ready for college and career, and enable them to out-compete any worker, anywhere in the world.

Today, in Madison, Wisconsin, the President applauded progress across the nation as states undertake reforms that will enable them to better qualify for an award under the Race to the Top.

RACE TO THE TOP

In the coming weeks, the U.S. Department of Education will issue the final application and guidance for states under the Race to the Top. This competition will be conducted in two rounds - the first starting this month and the second in June of next year - with winners announced in April and September, 2010. To be eligible to compete, states must have their second round State Fiscal Stabilization applications approved by the U.S. Department of Education and not have any legal, statutory or regulatory barriers to linking data on student achievement or student growth to teachers and principals for evaluation purposes.

The Race to the Top emphasizes the following reform areas:

• Designing and implementing rigorous standards and high-quality assessments, by encouraging states to work jointly toward a system of common academic standards that builds toward college and career readiness, and that includes improved assessments designed to measure critical knowledge and higher-order thinking skills.

• Attracting and keeping great teachers and leaders in America's classrooms, by expanding effective support to teachers and principals; reforming and improving teacher preparation; revising teacher evaluation, compensation, and retention policies to encourage and reward effectiveness; and working to ensure that our most talented teachers are placed in the schools and subjects where they are needed the most.

• Supporting data systems that inform decisions and improve instruction, by fully implementing a statewide longitudinal data system, assessing and using data to drive instruction, and making data more accessible to key stakeholders.

• Using innovation and effective approaches to turn-around struggling schools, by asking states to prioritize and transform persistently low-performing schools.

• Demonstrating and sustaining education reform, by promoting collaborations between business leaders, educators, and other stakeholders to raise student achievement and close achievement gaps, and by expanding support for high-performing public charter schools, reinvigorating math and science education, and promoting other conditions favorable to innovation and reform.

A NATIONAL RESPONSE

In July, the U.S. Department of Education issued a notice of proposed priorities under the Race to the Top, and has received more than 3,700 comments from approximately 1,200 respondents on the various components of the program, including comments from 9 Governors, 20 State Education Officials, and over 200 education associations and organizations. All comments to the Race to the Top are available on http://www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html

States and communities across the nation have recently undertaken efforts designed to promote education reforms that are consistent with the principles reflected under the Race to the Top.

Missouri became the 48th state, along with the District of Columbia, to join a national partnership led by the National Governors Association and the Chief State School Officers to develop a common core of new, rigorous college and career-ready standards in reading and math.

California recently enacted legislation to enable student achievement data to be linked to teacher and principal performance. Indiana now permits the use of student performance data for teacher evaluation and Wisconsin, with the support of the state teachers union, has recently introduced and is considering legislation to do the same. New York is also considering similar legislation.

Illinois, Louisiana, and Tennessee have all recently altered laws or policies affecting public charter schools to enable their expansion and success. Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Ohio and Rhode Island have recently advanced policies to preserve and strengthen public charter schools. Similar efforts are being considered in California, Idaho, New York, Massachusetts, Michigan and North Carolina.

Delaware has recently developed a new system of teacher evaluation which incorporates student achievement and sets classroom goals for teachers evaluated through various measures of student learning and growth. The system allows teachers, principals, and school administrators to engage in a process focused on improving teacher practice and increasing student success.

Austin, TX has developed an innovative approach to performance-based compensation and career advancement for teachers that rewards successful teachers who improve the achievement and growth of their students and who take on additional roles and responsibilities, such as mentoring new teachers.

Educators and city leaders in Jefferson County, CO have collaborated to develop an alternate compensation system for teachers, focused on student learning, teacher learning and teacher leadership. The proposed system would include multiple measures of student learning and growth gathered from the state's reading and math assessments, as well as incorporate incentives and goals for teams of teachers and a restructuring of the school day and possibly the school year.

New Haven, CT recently ratified a new four-year contract for their teachers, including a new teacher evaluation system that considers student learning gains in the assessment of teacher performance and that identifies and provides interventions for struggling teachers through a peer-assistance and review program . To promote innovation, New Haven will promote a new process for changing traditional conditions in schools - enabling reforms such as expanding the school day - and will facilitate the conversion of underperforming schools into charter schools, where the school principal will select and build his or her instructional team.

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