Posted on March 8, 2010

Department of Education Announces Sixteen 'Race to the Top' Finalists

The U.S. Department of Education has announced the sixteen finalists of the first phase of the Race to the Top competition.

Race to the Top is the DOE's $4.35 billion effort to dramatically re-shape America's educational system to better engage and prepare students for success in a competitive twenty-first century economy and workplace. States competing for Race to the Top funds were asked to document past education reform successes and outline their plans to extend reforms using college and career-ready standards and assessments, build a workforce of highly effective educators, create educational data systems to support student achievement, and turn around their lowest-performing schools.

Chosen from a pool of forty-one candidates, the phase-one finalists are Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee. In mid-March, the finalists will present their proposals to the panel that reviewed the applications. The DOE has not set a predetermined number of winners or a set amount of money to be awarded during phase one, though it is expected that no more than half of the $4 billion being awarded directly to states will be decided in the first phase. The phase-one winners will be announced in April, with applications for phase two due on June 1.

"These states are an example for the country of what is possible when adults come together to do the right thing for children," said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "Everyone that applied for Race to the Top is charting a path for education reform in America. I salute all of the applicants for their hard work, and I encourage non-finalists to reapply for phase two....We are setting a high bar and we anticipate very few winners in phase one. 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."