As many of you are aware, President Obama’s Race to the Top Fund is rapidly coming to fruition. Over the past week, 40 states (including Virginia and North Carolina) and Washington, D.C. submitted applications to compete in Phase I of Race to the Top (RttT). Obama’s RttT grant totals over 4 billion dollars, and he has requested another 1.35 billion for his FY 2011 budget. Obama stated in his State of the Union address on Wednesday, January 27th that

“…we need to invest in the skills and education of our people. This year, we have broken through the stalemate between left and right by launching a national competition to improve our schools. The idea here is simple: instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success. Instead of funding the status quo, we only invest in reform – reform that raises student achievement, inspires students to excel in math and science, and turns around failing schools that steal the future of too many young Americans, from rural communities to inner-cities. In the 21st century, one of the best anti-poverty programs is a world-class education. In this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than their potential…”

Through Race to the Top, the government is asking States to advance reforms around four specific areas:

  • Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;
  • Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction;
  • Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and
  • Turning around our lowest-achieving schools.

Awards in Race to the Top will go to States that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive education reform. Race to the Top winners will help trail-blaze effective reforms and provide examples for States and local school districts throughout the country to follow as they too are hard at work on reforms that can transform our schools for decades to come.

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