The U.S. Department of Education has cracked down on a winning Race to the Top state—President Obama’s home state, no less—for what the federal officials see as not living up to the promises of its ambitious plan.
My colleague Michele McNeil reports on Politics K-12 that the department has placed Hawaii on “high-risk status” as a result of its slow progress in meeting the obligations of its $75 million award. The department rejected several of the state’s requests for changes and delays to its plan, and agency officials plan to conduct extensive on-site reviews of Hawaii’s progress, she reports. Hawaii officials are vowing to improve their performance, soon.
The department’s move would seem to offer a blunt reminder to other Race to the Top winners that there’s a limit to federal officials’ patience and flexibility when it comes to states executing their agreed-upon goals.