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Eighteen States, D.C. are Finalists for Race to the Top Education Money

1 year ago

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Eighteen states and the District of Columbia will vie for $3.4 billion as finalists in the second round of Race to the Top, the Obama administration's competitive program to encourage states to implement its education reform initiatives.

Whittled down from 36 applications, the finalists in round two include all of the previous finalists minus Delaware and Tennessee, winners of the last round of grants. Arizona, California, Hawaii, Maryland, and New Jersey are newcomers to the finals in this round of Race to the Top.

In a speech Tuesday at the National Press Club, Education Secretary Arne Duncan extolled what he called a "quiet revolution" in the American education system triggered by Race to the Top and other initiatives.

"With a budget of just $5 billion, less than 1 percent of total education spending in America, this minor provision in the [American Recovery and Reinvestment Act] has unleashed an avalanche of pent-up education reform activity at the state and at the local level," he said.

Many states began rewriting their education standards to be competitive for Race to the Top funds.

Stressing that the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind policy left much to be desired with its standardized approach to assessing student achievement, Duncan said schools need better assessment and incentive strategies tailored to them.

"If we've learned one thing from NCLB, it's that a 'one-size-fits-all' remedy typically doesn't work," he said. "In fact, the 'one-size-fits-all' ideas tend to stifle creativity and innovation at the local level."

Duncan noted Race to the Top's emphasis on rewarding good teachers, turning around weak schools, adopting tough standards and collecting and studying data on reform. The states that demonstrate the strongest plans for educational reform meeting these criteria are eligible for a federally funded boost.

Teachers' unions have pushed back against the administration's policies, feeling they have become scapegoats for all of the education system's problems. The American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association conspicuously neglected to invite administration officials to their conferences this year.

The recent firing of 241 teachers based on poor performance by Chancellor Michelle Rhee of the District of Columbia school system has only fanned the flames. But Duncan said that wouldn't necessarily help D.C. win the second round.

"It's Race to the Top," he said. "I don't think anyone's going to fire their way to the top."

The $3.4 billion up for grabs this round should cover awards for 10 to 15 states, Duncan said. That means at least four finalists will come away from this round empty-handed. In a press release, Duncan said there is federal funding available through other programs for states that support the administration's policies.

Edging out 39 other applicants, Delaware and Tennessee shared $600 million in the first round, which ended in March.

President Barack Obama requested $1.35 billion for Race to the Top in next year's budget.

"But as I have said many, many times before, this isn't just about the money," Duncan said. "This is about working together and putting the needs of children ahead of everyone else."

The second round finalists will present their proposals for peer review in Washington in two weeks. The winners will be announced in September.

Here are the finalists:

· Arizona

· California

· Colorado*

· The District of Columbia*

· Florida*

· Georgia*

· Hawaii

· Illinois*

· Kentucky*

· Louisiana*

· Maryland

· Massachusetts*

· New Jersey

· New York*

· North Carolina*

· Ohio*

· Pennsylvania*

· Rhode Island*

· South Carolina*

*also a first round finalist

Filed Under: Education, Obama Administration

Tagged: Arne Duncan, dailyguidance, department of education, education, education reform, grants, No Child Left Behind, race to the top

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dc walker

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs insinuated today that President Obama will reverse a provision in the omnibus spending bill to terminate school vouchers for underprivileged students in Washington, D.C.

(CBS)The president signed the $410 billion dollar omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2009 this afternoon. It includes a provision that lets funding for the city's (DC)school voucher program to expire at the end of the 2010 school year. The program allows about 1,700 mostly low-income and minority students to attend private schools as an alterative to the struggling D.C. public school system. ..........why was the voucher program taken away from the poor in the first place??????

July 27 2010 at 9:53 PM Report abuse Permalink +2 rate up rate down Reply