Topic: Race To The Top

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has utilized "Race to the Top" grants to incentivize states to adopt Common Core standards. Critics argue that while the department claims not to control curriculum, the $350 million funded for national testing effectively dictates what is taught in classrooms. The hosts describe this as a centrally controlled "national brainwashing system" funded by private foundations like the Gates Foundation.

The implementation of Common Core through "Race to the Top" grants is linked to the financial interests of Bill Gates and Michael Dell, whose companies provide the necessary hardware and software. The "daisy chain" of non-profits, such as Educate Texas, is criticized for creating a self-sustaining loop of corporate-driven education policy that bypasses traditional democratic oversight.

President Barack Obama suggested that Medicare should provide financial bonuses to hospitals that successfully reduce infection rates through simple protocols like employee hand washing. This incentive-based approach is compared to the "Race to the Top" education initiative. Skeptics questioned the efficacy of paying for basic hygiene and the potential for hospitals to falsify compliance forms for reimbursement.

During the Facebook town hall, Mark Zuckerberg interrupted President Obama to praise the administration's "Race to the Top" education initiative. The exchange was criticized as being highly scripted and overly complimentary. The questions from the audience and the web were characterized as "lame" and designed to avoid challenging the President.