Race to the Top
As a part of the federal government’s stimulus-funding package (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act), Race to the Top will award a total of $4.35 billion to states that are reform minded and forward thinking in their educational systems. Delaware and Tennessee were the first states to be awarded Race to the top Funds (Read Ed.gov Press Release).
States must compete for funding, and those that receive Race to the Top money will use it to create changes other schools and states can replicate. The effort is designed to encourage states to implement education reforms across four priority areas:
- Creating tougher and more effective standards and assessments.
- Supporting and improving struggling and/or charter schools.
- Improving teacher effectiveness and achieving equity in teacher distribution.
- Improving the collection and use of data, especially those that can link student progress to individual teachers.
Governors submit applications for grant money, and applications must describe how the state has created conditions for educational reform and for increasing student achievement. U.S. Department of Education officials have said not all states will qualify for funding.
Boys Town can help you maximize your state-obtained Race to the Top money. With our wide variety of training programs for school administrators and teachers, Boys Town can help determine what training materials/curricula states can implement to meet the four priority areas. Boys Town also can identify training materials and curricula sections that can address educational reform and increase student achievement.
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