Getting ESEA reauthorized is going to be a tough slog in the best of times, and these times are definitely not those. So it seems increasingly likely that Race to the Top will remain the center of the Obama administration’s education agenda. And not just the RTT program but the larger theory behind it: instead of doling out federal money via automatic formula, leverage change by focusing resources only on states that enact meaningful reform.
So I think it’s only a matter of time before RTT gets franchised out to other policy areas. The first should be higher education, where the administration is on the verge of investing billions of new dollars but still lacks a sharp state-level policy agenda to ensure that those resources make a difference. For a complete rundown of what the Race to the Top for Higher Education (henceforth: RTT4HE) should look like, see my new column in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Better Benefits: Reforming Teacher Pensions for a Changing Work Force
The Course of Innovation: Using Technology to Transform Higher Education 
09/03/10 | Kris Amundson gives Virginia policymakers a true/false quiz on the condition of K-12 public education in the state.
09/02/10 | Elena Silva compares two proposals for the next generation of computer-based assessments funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
09/01/10 | Forrest Hinton explains why consumer choice and market forces are currently weak influences on higher education quality. 
09/01/10 | Chad Aldeman's and Kevin Carey's thoughts on value-added teacher evaluations are featured in The Atlantic
[...] Look for Race to the Top to be franchised out to other policy areas, writes Kevin Carey. [...]