THE WHITE HOUSE President Obamas Plan to Win the Future by Reforming K-12 School Funding Our public

education system must have one goal all students should graduate from high school ready to embark upon college and eventual careers. Recent evidence suggests that other nations school children are outpacing those in American schools. Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the federal role in education is too rigid, punitive, and prescriptive resulting in shifting goals, uneven standards, and low expectations for students and schools. In order to win the future, this has to change. Todays economy demands a workforce that is smart, skilled, creative and equipped for success in a global marketplace. Americas future economic competitiveness is being decided every day, in classrooms across the nation. In order to help each of our children prepare to reach that goal, the President called in his State of the Union for Congress to build on the successful Race to the Top model in replacing NCLB. As part of this call, the President will, in his Budget, seek to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which will boldly restructure K-12 funding to focus resources on the nations most critical educational goals and consolidate narrow programs into broader authorities. Raising expectations for students and schools: The Presidents plan will support states as they implement rigorous college and career ready standards. It ushers in a new accountability system focused on keeping students on track to graduate college and career ready by 2020. Greater flexibility to support innovation and improvement: Instead of relying on one-sizefits-all mandates from Washington, the Presidents plan makes room for state and school district leaders to pave the way in supporting student achievement. Recognizing and rewarding excellence: The Presidents plan will recognize and reward excellence at all levels of the education system. It will promote a comprehensive and systematic approach to closing the achievement gap by expanding the Race to the Top and supporting new models to improve teacher and student success through the Investing in Innovation Fund. Promoting great teachers and great principals: The President recognizes that the core of a great education is great teaching and leadership, which is why his plan places new emphasis on teacher effectiveness while offering continued support to help schools and teachers succeed. The Presidents Plan to Fix No Child Left Behind One clear goal: all students graduate ready for college and career: The Presidents plan will fix No Child Left Behinds accountability system with a new federal framework that is fair, flexible, and focused on helping every student graduate ready for college and career. Instead of labeling over 30,000 schools as failing under NCLB, the President wants to target reform at Americas lowest-performing schools and those with the greatest achievement gaps, while rewarding schools that make significant strides in helping their students succeed. The Presidents plan supports the work underway in 44 states to replace narrow, fill-in-the-bubble tests with a

new generation of college- and career-ready tests, the results of which will more accurately reflect student learning and growth. Expanding Race to the Top and focusing on results: Given limited resources and the challenging Budget environment, the Presidents plan seeks to ensure that every taxpayer dollar spent on education expands opportunity for Americas students by consolidating 38 disparate programs into 11 initiatives to help states and school districts focus on results. The plan also supports continuation of the historic Race to the Top, with an expanded focus this year on school districts prepared to implement and sustain comprehensive reforms. A great teacher in every classroom and a great principal in every school: The Presidents Budget will support a new effort to build the teaching profession through reforms that will help states create better systems to recruit, prepare, develop, reward, and retain effective educators. By focusing on teacher effectiveness and driving reforms based on evidence of student learning and achievement, the Presidents plan will help identify and reward our most successful teachers, while helping more teachers excel. The Budget supports this plan by consolidating nine teacherrelated programs under the No Child Left Behind Act and providing resources to back the development of statewide teacher evaluation systems that use multiple measures to indicate good teaching. A comprehensive and well-rounded education for every student: The Presidents Budget will propose consolidating 15 programs under the No Child Left Behind Act to provide new resources and greater state and local flexibility for schools to implement high-quality instruction in reading, math, and science, along with a well-rounded curriculum that will help equip students with the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century. Our nations employers are building a workforce of critical thinkers, problem solvers, communicators, and collaborators and looking for candidates who bring creativity and ingenuity to the job. Our entire education system from standards to assessments to how we train teachers must promote high levels of learning and strong academic skills. Fostering new models for teaching and learning: New economic and global challenges demand a new approach to teaching and learning in our schools. The Presidents plan supports incorporating more time for learning and enrichment in and out of school; a continuation of the Investing in Innovation Fund; and greater investments in high-performing charter schools, magnet schools, and other autonomous public schools. Technology can help schools move away from a one-size-fits-all approach, personalize learning, and enable students to progress and succeed at their own pace.

Building on Progress The Administration has made important strides in achieving President Obamas goal of challenging the status quo in education and driving forward reform in our nations schools. Current initiatives reforming achievement metrics and inspiring innovative approaches to education form the backbone of the Administrations success in charting an upward trajectory for Americas schoolchildren.

The Race to the Top: President Obamas Race to the Top initiative has dedicated over $4 billion to twelve states in an effort to spur systemic reform and embrace innovative approaches to teaching and learning in Americas schools. Forty-six states and the District of Columbia applied for Race to the Top funding, and most of those states have made significant changes in laws or policies to promote education reforms that are consistent with the principles reflected under the Race to the Top. Assessing Student Growth Metrics: President Obama dedicated $350 million in Recovery Act funding to support the development of the next generation of assessments that will allow states to measure student and school growth and progress. As part of Race to the Top, this initiative supports consortia of states in the development of comprehensive assessment systems. Transformative Change in Low-Performing Schools: Nearly 5 percent of all schools across the country are consistently low-performing. Aiming to close the resulting achievement gap, the Obama Administration has committed over $4 billion to support states efforts to make bold interventions in school improvement. Fourteen states have already changed their laws to prioritize and support their low-performing schools in response to President Obamas call to action. Great Teachers and Leaders: The Obama Administration is dedicated to working in partnership with teachers and principals to improve teacher preparation and development, establish new and innovative models of evaluation and compensation, and ensure that teachers have the support and opportunity they need to improve their craft and advance in their profession. Seventeen states have charted new directions in measuring teacher performance and student achievement.