The Precedented Scale of Race to the Top

borrowed from Tuttle SVC – a great education blog by Tom Hoffman from Providence (if you like this, go and read more of his stuff)

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Tennessee — eligible for $150 – $250 million from RttT:   The city school board is expected to sign an agreement today with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that will funnel more than $90 million to Memphis for a plan to change how teachers are hired, placed, evaluated and retained.Pennsylvania — eligible for $200 – $400 million: In what officials said would be the largest grant ever made directly to the Pittsburgh Public Schools, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has offered the district $40 million for sweeping initiatives to maximize teacher effectiveness.Florida — eligible for $350 to $700 million: TAMPA — The finish line is in sight for the Hillsborough County School District, which agreed Tuesday to accept a $100 million teacher effectiveness grant if the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation offers it.And remember…  AUSTIN – For the $300 million spent on merit pay for teachers over the last three years, Texas was hoping for a big boost in student achievement.But it didn’t happen with the now-defunct program, according to experts hired by the state.

Second verse, same as the first…