Race to the Top Q&A

“NCLB is a CD in an ipod world.”

What is Race to the Top?

Under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, aka the federal stimulus act, two important and unprecedented education initiatives were adopted. First, it allocated about $100 billion in additional funding for education (largest sum allocated to education EVER). Second, it contained a number of provisions targeting the improvement of education for low income and minority students.

What will RTTT emphasize?

-Designing and implementing rigorous standards and high-quality assessments.

-Attracting and keeping great teachers and leaders in American’s classrooms.

-Supporting data systems that inform decisions and improve instruction.

-Using innovation and effective approaches to turn-around struggling schools.

-Demonstrating and sustaining education reform.

What are the four assurances?

In order for states to be eligible to receive federal aid in education, each governor submitting an application must provide assurances that the state will:

a) take actions to improve teacher effectiveness and to address inequities in the distribution of effective teachers between and high and low-poverty schools;

b) establish a longitudinal data system to track student progress and improve educational practice

c) take steps to improve state academic standards and the quality of academic assessments it administers

d) provide intensive support and effective interventions in low-performing schools

How much money is in the pot?

The largest pot of education money provided by ARRA is the approximately $48.3 billion earmarked as State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, which is intended to mitigate anticipated cutbacks in funding for public schools and public postsecondary institutions and related job losses. The Act provides the states an additional $13 billion for economically disadvantaged children under the Title I of Elementary and Secondary Education Act and $12.2 billion more for students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The Act also includes a number of smaller programs, including an additional $5 billion in discretionary grants that the Department will be distributing under a RTTT Incentive Fund and a separate Innovation Fund. This report will focus on the three largest programs ESF, Title I, and IDEA.

What is the I³ fund?

The Invest in Innovation fund, or I³, is an additional $650 million in “seed money” for districts to implement promising educational ideas. This money will go toward school district and nonprofit programs or partnerships that can demonstrate evidence of success and are capable of being replicated on a large scale.

When will Race to the Top take place?

The Race to the Top competition will be conducted in two rounds. The first deadline was January 19, 2010 and the second deadline will be on June 1. The winners will be announced in April and September of 2010. To be eligible to compete, states must have their second round State Fiscal Stabilization applications approved by the U.S. Department of Education and not have any legal, statutory, or regulatory barriers to linking data on student achievement or student growth to teachers and principals for evaluation purposes.

Which states submitted an application to the first deadline?

Here’s a list of states that submitted applications to compete in Phase 1 of Race to the Top:

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

How will the money be divided among the winners?

The amount each state receives depends on the state’s share of the national population of children ages 5 to 17. For example, California, New York, Florida, and Texas potentially qualify for an award between $350 to $700 million in federal aid. Less populated states, including Montana, Idaho, Rhode Island, North and South Dakota, would potentially qualify for an award between $20 to $75 million.

Why did some states not participate?

39 states and the District of Columbia submitted an application. Some states, like Montana, believe that the prescribed options for school turnarounds wouldn’t be applicable in their state due to the rural nature of the population. Those states that did not participate in the first deadline, and those states which lost from round one, will be able to apply in round two.