Obama addresses Urban League amidst criticism over education reform

President Obama addressed the National Urban League’s 100th Anniversary Conference.  He walked into an adoring crowd that couldn’t help but laugh and applaud when the President charmed them with his wide grin.

But although the President received a standing ovation, he has not escaped criticism.

Earlier this week, a group of civil rights organizations, including the National Urban League, sent a report to the president criticizing his educational reform, Race to the Top.

They said it does little to help youth of color.  They cite a statistic that finds only three percent of the youth who will benefit from the first round of Race to the Top awards are students of color.

“I told you we’re going to have an honest conversation.”

President Obama attended the event, to address those concerns. But he firmly defended his education plan:

“So the charge that Race to the Top isn’t targeted at those young people most in need is absolutely false, because lifting up quality for all our children -- black, white, Hispanic -- that is the central premise of Race to the Top.  And you can’t win one of these grants unless you’ve got a plan to deal with those schools that are failing and those young people who aren’t doing well.”

The competitive grant process gives funding to states that meet criteria and reform their school systems. In the first round, Delaware and Tennessee won funding. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia advanced to the next stage of this latest round.

“What kind of criteria are you using?"

Barbara Arwine is executive director of the Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights, one of the organizations that signed on to the critical report. She says the president didn’t address all of their concerns:

“When we read Race to the Top, we couldn’t find civil rights criteria, integration criteria. We couldn’t’ see the diversity requirements, there were just these deficiencies."

President Obama also addressed another constituency that his administration has been battling with: teachers' unions.

The President has endorsed firing under-performing teachers.  He defended that stance Thursday:

“So I am 110 percent behind our teachers.  (Applause.)  But all I’m asking in return -- as a President, as a parent, and as a citizen -- is some measure of accountability.  (Applause.)  So even as we applaud teachers for their hard work, we’ve got to make sure we’re seeing results in the classroom.  If we’re not seeing results in the classroom, then let’s work with teachers to help them become more effective.  If that doesn’t work, let’s find the right teacher for that classroom."  (Applause.)

Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, says she supports accountability, but she says there needs to be mutual accountability between the teachers and school system:

“When a teacher says: 'I need the following tools', the teacher actually gets the tools the teacher needs to do his or her job.”

Teachers'  unions have been negotiating new contracts across the country that take into account accountability standards.  Just last week, Washington, D.C. School Chancellor Michelle Rhee fired more than 200 teachers based on new accountability standards.

Amber Hamilton is a member of the National Urban League, and was in the audience for Obama's speech.  She’s a middle school teacher in Atlanta, Georgia. She is not part of the union because Georgia is a 'right to work' state. She says she has little protection from being fired. But she also says she supports laying off under-performing teachers and the controversial idea of merit pay.

“I think the teachers that don’t want to be there and aren’t committed to the children do need to leave. I also think the teachers that are there need to get paid for their accomplishments in the classroom.”

The administration has pledged $4 billion  for Race to the Top. Nearly 90 percent of that money remains. The winners of this round will be announced in September.

Leigh Ann Caldwell, FSRN, Washington.

Photo: an award-winning teacher with her students

Photo credit: The Sierra Club