President Obama: Racing belongs in the Olympics, not in school funding!

We were glad that President Obama's State of the Union emphasized education throughout his speech — especially the urgent need for universal access to high quality Pre-K and other early education programs. As Obama put it: "Research shows that one of the best investments we can make in a child's life is high-quality early education."

However, we need to find an equitable way to achieve this important goal. Obama's reliance on competitive grants, known as Race to the Top, pits states and districts against each other at a time when most education budgets are still dangerously underfunded. Even worse, many of the requirements for eligibility aren't proven solutions, and can even have a negative effect on our schools: increases in charter schools, increased standardized testing, and untested programs of teacher evaluation. Nor do the grants provide the serious funding and resources needed to make sure children can meet the high standards that Race to the Top imposes.

Please take a moment to tell President Obama: leave racing and jumping through hoops for the Olympics. All our children deserve equitably funded schools!