ED released guidance for several components of the Stimulus today, including the Race to the Top Fund and the second round of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund. Lots more on this to come.

Right off the bat though, the guidance contains a definition of "effective teacher" relevant to our current What is effective teaching?. The guidance says that

Effective teacher means a teacher whose students achieve acceptable rates (e.g., at least one grade level in an academic year) of student growth (as defined in this notice). States may supplement this definition as they see fit so long as teacher effectiveness is judged, in significant measure, by student growth (as defined in this notice). 

With some last-minute amendments and sniping among board members, the resolution passed by a single vote.

"I came away depressed," said Schatz, who heads the 500-member Central City Assn. of Los Angeles. "If they can barely pass something like that, how are they going to tackle teacher quality?"

(NOTE: We should add names like her's to our outreach later on.)