Every Thursday, REL-NEI highlights state-based resources, press releases, and news around the Northeast and Islands Region related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). For a listing of REL Issues & Answers Reports categorized under ARRA topics and domains, click here.
MA, NY, and RI Selected as Race to the Top Finalists
Three of five states in the Northeast and Islands Region that applied for Phase 1 of the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) grant competition have been selected as finalists. Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island are among 15 states that will advance in the competition along with the District of Columbia, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced today. Finalists will send a five-person team in mid-March to Washington, D.C., to present their proposals and engage in Q&A discussions with reviewers. Winners of the first phase of funding will be announced in early April.
Connecticut and New Hampshire also submitted applications but were not among the 16 finalists.
“Everyone that applied for Race to the Top is charting a path for education reform in America,” Duncan said in a press release. “I salute all of the applicants for their hard work. And I encourage non-finalists to reapply for Phase 2.”
The other finalists are: Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), RTTT is offering $4.35 billion in competitive grants to states that demonstrate to the Obama Administration that they are committed to education reform to better prepare students for success in the 21st century.
States competing for the funds submitted lengthy applications that document past education-reform successes as well as outline plans to advance college and career-ready standards and assessments; build a workforce of highly effective educators; create educational data systems; and turn around their lowest-performing schools.
According to the press release, panels of five peer reviewers independently read and scored each application. Of the 41 applications received, the 16 with the highest scores were selected as finalists. Each of the finalists scored over 400 points on a 500-point scale. All applicants will get to review their scores after the winners are announced in April.
The number of Phase 1 winners will be determined by the strength of the applications, Duncan said, and no more than $2 billion is expected to be awarded in the first phase to ensure a robust competition for Phase 2. Winners in Phase 1 will be prohibited from applying in Phase 2.
Applications for Phase 2 are due on June 1 of this year, with finalists announced in August and winners in September.
“We are setting a high bar and we anticipate very few winners in Phase 1. But this isn’t just about the money. It’s about collaboration among all stakeholders, building a shared agenda, and challenging ourselves to improve the way our students learn. I feel that every state that has applied is a winner—and the biggest winners of all are the students,” Duncan said.
Click here to read the press release, watch a video of Secretary Duncan announcing the finalists, or learn more.
For more information, visit these ARRA-related websites across the Northeast and Islands Region:
U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/index.html
State Recovery Sites
http://www.recovery.gov/?q=content/state-local-tribal-and-territorial-resources
State Education Agency Recovery Sites
Education Week’s “Schools and the Stimulus”
http://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/schools-stimulus/index.html
