And now VT takes a pass on Race to the Top

So now we are at VA, MN, CA and TX all taking a pass on RttT. So is Indiana. Oh, gosh, golly, darn it, so is Kansas. An AP report had the following news (from the Globe) on VT:

“When we look at it realistically with limited resources we have to make sure we put our energies and our efforts into places that we know we can be successful in and that fit what the direction of Vermont education is moving in,” Vilaseca [ed note: Commissioner of Education in VT] said. “Vermont has a highly successful educational system, when you look at our NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) results when you look at how our students do across the board, graduation rates, we are one of the leaders in the country. We have still room to improve but this program doesn’t move us in the direction where we feel we should be going in.”

Vermont could have been eligible for $40 million, which would have amounted to about $500,000 per supervisory union over four years, if the state’s grant had been successful, education officials said.

Vilaseca said the program is better suited to urban, underperforming schools, but the U.S. Department of Education disagreed.

“Race to the Top gives all states, both urban and rural, a chance to dramatically improve the lives of children. We hope every state applies and puts its best foot forward,” press secretary Justin Hamilton said.

The Race does not apply to all states if you are a high-performer. The feds are thick, really thick. Like an elderly relative who can’t stop repeating things that are nonsensical, but is conditioned by repetition to believe them even more fervently.