FROM: U.S. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
U.S. Department of Education Announces 31 Applications as Finalists for $120 Million Race To The Top – District Competition
NOVEMBER 19, 2013
The U.S. Department of Education announced today that 31 applications have been selected as finalists for the Race to the Top-District (RTTT-D) competition. The 2013 RTTT-D program will provide close to $120 million to support locally developed plans to personalize and improve student learning, directly increase student achievement and educator effectiveness, close achievement gaps, and prepare every student for success in college and careers.
The 31 finalists, representing 80 school districts across 21 states, were selected from over 200 applications the Department received in October to demonstrate how districts could personalize education for students and provide school leaders and teachers with key tools that support them in meeting students' needs.
"This year's finalists created innovative plans, to drive education reform and improve student achievement, that serve as an example for the rest of the country," U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. "This competition supports local efforts of diverse, trailblazing districts across the country to implement models of personalized learning so that every child graduates college and career ready. No matter who wins, children across the country will benefit from the clear vision and track records of success demonstrated by these finalists."
Race to the Top-District applications were randomly assigned to three-person panels that independently read and scored each application, with independent reviewers' scores averaged to determine an applicant's score. The Department arranged the applications in rank order from high to low scores, and determined which the strongest competitors to invite back were based on "natural breaks" – i.e. scoring gaps in the lineup. The top 31 applications were then selected as finalists.
Consistent with the Department's plan to select high-quality proposals from applications across a variety of districts, the finalists represent a range of districts, both rural and non-rural, from both Race to the Top states and non-Race to the Top states.
The Department expects to select 5-10 winning applications from the 2013 Race to the Top-District competition for four-year awards, which will range from $4 million to $30 million, depending on the population of students served through the plan. Awards will be announced no later than Dec. 31, 2013.
Grantees will be selected based on their vision and capacity for reform as well as a strong plan that provides educators with resources to accelerate student achievement and prepare students for college and their careers. Plans will focus on transforming the learning environment so that it meets all students' learning abilities, making equity and access to high-quality education a priority. Teachers will receive real-time feedback that helps them adapt to their students' needs, allowing them to create opportunities for students to pursue areas of personal academic interest that prepare them for success in their future.
The program also offers competitive preference to applicants that form partnerships with public and private organizations to offer services that help meet students' academic, social, and emotional needs, outside of the classroom.
Showing posts with label RACE TO THE TOP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RACE TO THE TOP. Show all posts
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
D.C. AND 16 STATES SUBMIT APPLICATIONS FOR RACE TO THE TOP-EARLY LEARNING CHALLENGE
FROM: U.S. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
16 States and D.C. Submit Applications for the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge
OCTOBER 18, 2013
The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Departments) announced today that 16 states and the District of Columbia submitted applications for the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC), a $280 million state-level competitive grant program to improve early learning and development. Applicants included: Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont.
In August, the Obama Administration released the final application for the second RTT-ELC competition, which provides grants at the state level to improve the quality of early learning and development programs and close educational gaps for children with high needs. The program also supports states' efforts to design and implement an integrated system of high-quality early learning and development programs and services.
The Departments conducted the first RTT-ELC competition under the Race to the Top program in FY 2011 and awarded grants to nine states: California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington state. In FY 2012, the next five highest-rated state applicants from the FY 2011 competition received funding: Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon and Wisconsin. As a result of this investment, these states are building a more unified approach to supporting young children and their families. They are improving access to high-quality early learning and development programs and helping to ensure that more children enter kindergarten with the skills, knowledge and outlook toward learning they need to be successful in school and in life. The Departments continue to work closely together on new initiatives to improve and expand services for children from birth through age 5. The President's 2014 budget request includes a historic new investment in early learning that will build upon RTT-ELC to ensure that all children have the opportunity for a strong start in life.
The RTT-ELC competition focuses on five key areas of reform:
Establishing Successful State Systems by building on the state's existing strengths, ambitiously moving forward the state's early learning and development agenda and carefully coordinating programs across agencies to ensure consistency and sustainability beyond the grant;
Defining High-Quality, Accountable Programs by creating a common tiered quality rating and improvement system that is used across the state to evaluate and improve program performance and to inform families about program quality;
Promoting Early Learning and Development Outcomes for Children to develop common standards within the state and assessments that measure child outcomes, address behavioral and health needs, as well as inform, engage and support families;
Supporting A Great Early Childhood Education Workforce by providing professional development, career advancement opportunities, appropriate compensation and a common set of standards for workforce knowledge and competencies; andMeasuring Outcomes and Progress so that data can be used to inform early learning instruction and services and to assess whether children are entering kindergarten ready to succeed in elementary school.
Grant awards will last for four years and range from $37.5 million up to $75 million, depending on the state's share of the national population of children ages birth through five-years-old from low-income families and their proposed plans. Current grantees are not eligible to apply in the FY 2013 competition. The Departments will announce winners in December.
16 States and D.C. Submit Applications for the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge
OCTOBER 18, 2013
The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Departments) announced today that 16 states and the District of Columbia submitted applications for the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC), a $280 million state-level competitive grant program to improve early learning and development. Applicants included: Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont.
In August, the Obama Administration released the final application for the second RTT-ELC competition, which provides grants at the state level to improve the quality of early learning and development programs and close educational gaps for children with high needs. The program also supports states' efforts to design and implement an integrated system of high-quality early learning and development programs and services.
The Departments conducted the first RTT-ELC competition under the Race to the Top program in FY 2011 and awarded grants to nine states: California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington state. In FY 2012, the next five highest-rated state applicants from the FY 2011 competition received funding: Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon and Wisconsin. As a result of this investment, these states are building a more unified approach to supporting young children and their families. They are improving access to high-quality early learning and development programs and helping to ensure that more children enter kindergarten with the skills, knowledge and outlook toward learning they need to be successful in school and in life. The Departments continue to work closely together on new initiatives to improve and expand services for children from birth through age 5. The President's 2014 budget request includes a historic new investment in early learning that will build upon RTT-ELC to ensure that all children have the opportunity for a strong start in life.
The RTT-ELC competition focuses on five key areas of reform:
Establishing Successful State Systems by building on the state's existing strengths, ambitiously moving forward the state's early learning and development agenda and carefully coordinating programs across agencies to ensure consistency and sustainability beyond the grant;
Defining High-Quality, Accountable Programs by creating a common tiered quality rating and improvement system that is used across the state to evaluate and improve program performance and to inform families about program quality;
Promoting Early Learning and Development Outcomes for Children to develop common standards within the state and assessments that measure child outcomes, address behavioral and health needs, as well as inform, engage and support families;
Supporting A Great Early Childhood Education Workforce by providing professional development, career advancement opportunities, appropriate compensation and a common set of standards for workforce knowledge and competencies; andMeasuring Outcomes and Progress so that data can be used to inform early learning instruction and services and to assess whether children are entering kindergarten ready to succeed in elementary school.
Grant awards will last for four years and range from $37.5 million up to $75 million, depending on the state's share of the national population of children ages birth through five-years-old from low-income families and their proposed plans. Current grantees are not eligible to apply in the FY 2013 competition. The Departments will announce winners in December.
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