La. Educators to Be Tested in Race to the Top

New Orleans

Educators in Louisiana increasingly will have to prove their worth — quite literally — to advance in their careers, according to the nearly 200-page application submitted last month to President Barack Obama's Race to the Top grant program.

Teachers will be evaluated partly on their students' test score growth. Principals will be judged based on how many successful teachers they hire. Schools of education could be financially rewarded — or closed — depending on the performance of their graduates. And professional development programs could be expanded — or scrapped — based on whether they produce measurable results.

In sum, data will drive decisions in Louisiana's schools to an unprecedented degree. Education officials have praised Louisiana's application for the preciseness of its goals. Here's just one example: The number of log-ins to an online system allowing educators to track their students' progress will increase from 350,000 this school year...