Hawaii 5-0-0: How Did Hawaii’s Phase II Application “Race to the Top”?

• In Event: The Politics of Accountability in Educational Decision Making: Implications of Research for Education Policy Reform

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop a tentative causal explanation for how Hawaii managed to improve its Race to the Top application score from 364.6 Phase I points (22nd of 41 states) to 462.4 Phase II points (3rd of 36 states) within the span of six months in 2010. The researcher utilizes a comparative historical approach to help determine how Hawaii modified its responses between Phase I and Phase II of the competition in order to boost its overall score. Results indicate that enhanced implementation descriptions coupled with the omission of realistic constraints assisted Hawaii in raising its total score by approximately 27% percent between the phases. Recommendations for future policy and practice are also provided.

Author

• Justin Barbaro, Teachers College, Columbia University