WASHINGTON — Eighteen states and the District of Columbia will vie for $3.4 billion as finalists in the second round of Race to the Top, Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced Tuesday.
Whittled down from 36 applications, the finalists in this round include all of the previous finalists minus Delaware and Tennessee, last round’s winners. Arizona, California, Hawaii, Maryland and New Jersey are newcomers to the finals in this round of Race to the Top, the Obama administration’s competitive program to encourage states to implement its education reform initiatives.
Emmarie Huetteman/MNS
Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced 19 finalists in the second round of Race to the Top Tuesday in Washington.
Race to the Top’s second round finalists
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• Arizona
• California
• Colorado*
• The District of Columbia*
• Florida*
• Georgia*
• Hawaii
• Illinois*
• Kentucky*
• Louisiana*
• Maryland
• Massachusetts*
• New Jersey
• New York*
• North Carolina*
• Ohio*
• Pennsylvania*
• Rhode Island*
• South Carolina*
*also a first round finalist
Duncan extolled what he called a “quiet revolution” in the American education system triggered by Race to the Top and other initiatives in a speech at the National Press Club.
“With a budget of just $5 billion, less than 1 percent of total education spending in America, this minor provision in the [American Recovery and Reinvestment Act] has unleashed an avalanche of pent-up education reform activity at the state and at the local level,” he said.
Many states began rewriting their standards to be competitive for Race to the Top funds.
Stressing that the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind policy left much to be desired with its standardized approach to assessing student achievement, Duncan said schools need better assessment and incentive strategies tailored to them.
“If we’ve learned one thing from NCLB, it’s that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ remedy typically doesn’t work,” he said. “In fact, the ‘one-size-fits-all’ ideas tend to stifle creativity and innovation at the local level.”
Duncan noted Race to the Top’s emphasis on rewarding good teachers, turning around weak schools, adopting tough standards and collecting and studying data on reform. The states that demonstrate the strongest plans for educational reform meeting these criteria are eligible for a federally funded boost.
Teachers’ unions have pushed back against the administration’s policies, feeling they have become scapegoats for all of the education system’s problems. The American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association conspicuously neglected to invite administration officials to their conferences this year.
The recent firing of 241 teachers based on poor performance by Chancellor Michelle Rhee of the District of Columbia school system has only fanned the flames. But Duncan said that wouldn’t necessarily help D.C. win the second round.
“It’s Race to the Top,” he said. “I don’t think anyone’s going to fire their way to the top.”
Depending on the size of the winners, the $3.4 billion up for grabs this round should cover awards for 10 to 15 states, Duncan said.
That means at least four finalists will come away from this round empty-handed. In a press release, Duncan said there is federal funding available through other programs for states that support the administration’s policies.
Edging out 39 other applicants, Delaware and Tennessee shared $600 million in the first round, which ended in March.
President Barack Obama requested $1.35 billion for Race to the Top in next year’s budget.
“But as I have said many, many times before, this isn’t just about the money,” Duncan said. “This is about working together and putting the needs of children ahead of everyone else.”
The second round finalists will present their proposals for peer review in Washington in two weeks. The winners will be announced in September.