Education Law

Stimulus stimulates debate

BoardBuzz caught our friend Jay Matthews’ column in yesterday’s Washington Post, where he asks whether the stimulus money will be helping the students of America, or the adults working in school districts.  He raises some very good points, even comparing earlier infusions of money for education to the Washington Redskins attempts to “buy” a Superbowl championship.  As any Redskins fan will tell you, it doesn’t work.

Unfortunately, sometimes the best intentions for spending money in education go toward the grownups who make decisions, and not the kids in the classroom.  But Matthews found an urban district that has their own wish list and has made some good academic gains in recent years.  The principal there calls her teachers ‘rock stars’ and would like to use the money to help pre-K and after school programs, to name a few items on the wish list.  Will her wish be granted?  It’s still too early to tell, but with President Obama talking “big” about educational ideas last week, let’s hope things are different this time around.

BoardBuzz knows that school districts across the country are committed to using the stimulus money to improving student achievement.  What’s your district planning to do?  For more information about the stimulus, be sure to check out NSBA’s Stimulus Resource Center.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on March 17, 2009 (boomark / email).