Race to the Top will be Washington's tipping point for education

EDUCATION in Washington is at a tipping point. And one of the critical routes on the road map to better schools is currently before us: Developing a clear reform plan for Washington's Race to the Top application.

Race to the Top is the biggest grant for education from the federal government — ever. States apply for competitive grants, which favor bold initiatives and innovative plans in education reform.

On April 7, Gov. Chris Gregoire sent letters to all 295 school districts in the state, asking them to join Washington's Race to the Top application. Those districts are now considering whether or not participate. It's crucial that they partner with the state, not just for a share of the $250 million Washington is requesting, but because the application sets out goals that provide us with a way forward in improving education.

These goals state that all Washington students will:

• Enter kindergarten prepared for success;

• Compete in math and science nationally and internationally;

• Attain high academic standards regardless of race, ethnicity or gender;

• Graduate ready to succeed in college, training and careers.

With the help of Washington districts, we need to come together to develop a plan that turns these goals into reality.

This year, the passage of Washington's Race to the Top legislation, Senate Bill 6696, put in place reforms to turn around our lowest-performing schools, open up alternative routes to teaching, set better evaluation criteria for teachers and principals and promote science, technology, engineering and math achievement.

These policies will only be impactful, however, if the state and its districts agree to do some things differently.

Why is this necessary? Our math and science scores remain flat and we are one of the few states in the nation where the achievement gap is actually growing.

Race to the Top represents an opportunity for Washington to get education reform right and solve these problems.

At the state level, this means reorganizing our education agencies to deliver on the reform plan established by Race to the Top. Creating departments and staff devoted to helping districts implement the grant application's reforms — improving teacher and principal effectiveness, implementing college- and career-ready standards and assessments, using data to improve instruction and turning around the lowest-performing schools — would not only make us more competitive for federal funding, but also demonstrate Washington's commitment to student success.

At the district level, this means signing on to participate in one of the state's "Innovation Clusters." These clusters represent the building blocks for transforming education in our state and would provide extra support for districts willing to implement bold reforms such as evaluating and compensating teachers based on student performance and advancing innovations in math and science education.

With the coming reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and under Washington's SB 6696, districts will need to implement many of the reforms advocated by Race to the Top, regardless of federal funding. By making a strong show of support for Washington's application today, districts increase their chances to receive additional funding for reforms they will need to implement tomorrow.

Finally, it's important for all districts to sign on to the state's application, not just for the money they may receive, but in recognition of the significant collaboration and compromise that has already gone into this process. The business community would like to see stronger reforms implemented to make Washington truly competitive, but understands that conciliation is necessary to move our state forward.

Now it's up to districts to demonstrate to Washington citizens that our efforts have not been in vain and that we have developed a real plan — with broad support — that will move us one step closer to the goal of success for all students.

Brad Smith is the senior vice president and general counsel for Microsoft and board chair of the Washington Roundtable.