Posted on December 13, 2012

U.S. Department of Education Announces 2012 Race to the Top-District Challenge Winners

The U.S. Department of Education has announced the recipients of the 2012 Race to the Top-District competition.

Representing fifty-five school districts in eleven states and the District of Columbia, sixteen winners will each receive four-year grants of up to $40 million, depending on the number of students being served, to implement local reforms that personalize and deepen student learning, directly improve student achievement and educator effectiveness, close achievement gaps, and prepare all students to succeed in college and their careers. The winners were selected from a pool of three hundred and seventy-two applicants, whose locally developed plans were evaluated and scored by independent peer reviewers.

The competition builds on the Race to the Top Fund by supporting classroom-level reform efforts designed to bring about transformative change within the nation's public schools. Since it was created in 2009, Race to the Top has helped forty-five states and the District of Columbia pursue higher college- and career-ready standards, make data-driven decisions, offer greater support for teachers and leaders, and turn around low-performing schools.

"Since the day he took office, President Obama has been laser-focused on the goal of ensuring that every child has access to a quality education," said Cecilia Muñoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. "Race to the Top exemplifies this commitment and marks an historic moment in American education, raising the bar and improving outcomes for schools across the United States."

For a list of the 2012 Race to the Top-District grant recipients, visit the DoE Web site.