Mike Magee MD

In July, 2009, as the battle remained fully engaged on a legislative fix for health care reform, a very different approach to educational reform was announced in Washington. The United States Department of Education released the draft priorities, requirements, definitions and selection criteria for the $4.35 billion “Race to the Top” grant program (RTT) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The program was ambitious, demanding and decentralized. (1)

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, a consensus candidate from inside the Educational Sector, framed the effort as Education’s “moon shot.” “It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and this Department will not pass that up,“ he said. (2)

President Obama stood side-by side with Secretary Duncan at the launch. That day the President explained that education was one of the four critical pillars for economic success. The others? Energy reform, financial reform, and last but not least health reform. Focusing on education that day he said, “Even if we do all of those things (energy, financial, health), America will not succeed in the 21st century unless we do a far better job of educating our sons and daughters,” said the President. “In an economy where knowledge is the most valuable commodity, the best jobs will go to the best educated whether they are in the United States or India or China.”  (2) It was clear that President Obama was squarely behind the RTT initiative.

Nearly one year later, it’s interesting to reflect on the two very different approaches taken to radically transform education on the one hand, through a decentralized and competitive approach driven by the Executive Branch of Government, versus a more centralized and moderate reform agenda for health driven by the Legislative Branch of Government.(3) It is unclear how fast and how far Health Reform will go since we are clearly at the front end of that process. But less then a year since Arne Duncan’s effort was announced, most experts are expressing surprise at it’s massive and transformative impact. (4,5)

I’ll describe that effort more in a moment. But before I do, let’s look at comparisons of the Education and Health Sectors. (CONTINUE….)