Race to the Top is a contest for more than $ 3 billion in federal education reform grants. In the second round of the contest, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced Wednesday that 18 states and Washington D.C. as finalists. Cooperation was the secret of success for finalists for instance California. Losers like Nevada had politicians blaming each other and using the occasion to blast big government. Article source – Race to the Top finalists compete for federal education grants by Newystype.com.
Race to the Top grants total $ 3.4 billion
The first round of Race to the Top ended in March, with Delaware ($ 100 million) and Tennessee ($ 300 million) as the winners. In the second phase, the Department of Education will hand out $ 3.4 billion for education reform. Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina advance in the second round. They will compete in August within the interview portion of the contest. Race to the top winners can be declared in September.
Program incentivizes tough education reforms
In announcing the Race to the Top finalists in a speech to the National Press Club in Washington, Duncan called the program part of “a quiet revolution” in education reform. Race to the Top supporters say the biggest accomplishment of the program is that it motivates states to take on controversial reforms before spending any money. Since Race to the Top was announced, the Department of Education Reform said 23 states have passed education reform laws around things like charter schools and teacher evaluations to improve their chances of winning.
California cooperates to advance
After finishing 27th out of 40 in the first round, California made the cut. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that across the state, 300 local school districts and county offices of education signed on to the Race to the Top application, agreeing to implement the reforms it outlined. Superintendents from seven school districts wrote the application, which documented what the state has already done for education reform, including measuring student performance and supporting and evaluating teachers and principals.
Nevada’s failing grade brings out the politicians
A consultant was paid $ 40,000 to write Nevada’s failing Race to the Top application. Fox News Las Vegas reported that an orgy of finger-pointing ensued upon Nevada’s failure to reach the finals. Republican Governor Jim Gibbons was accused of a “lack of leadership” by Democratic Senator Harry Reid. Reid never “lifted a finger” to help his state compete, Gibbons said. Right wing senate hopeful Sharon Angle also piled on Reid, even though she campaigns for less federal involvement in schools and has proposed abolishing the Department of Education .
press.org
sfgate.com
fox5vegas.com
No comments:
Post a Comment