California education officials submitted an application Tuesday to compete in "Phase 2" of Obama's Race to the Top initiative. It is the second application the state has submitted and up to $700 million in federal funding could be allocated for California's financially beleaguered public school system If the application is approved.
Under the initiative, states would receive funding if they implemented reforms laid out by the Obama Administration. So far, only Delaware and Tennessee have had their applications approved.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was joined by Jack O'Connell, the state superintendent of public instruction, and Ted Mitchell, president of the state school board, at a signing ceremony earlier today in Long Beach.
"With the assistance of a team of exceptional district leaders, our application details how we will make changes to ensure there is an effective teacher in every classroom and strong leader in every school, and that these educators are provided with consistent, high-quality support so that every student is prepared for success in college or career," O'Connell said.
California's application was overseen by officials from the Clovis, Fresno, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Sanger, and San Francisco unified school districts.
Here's the press release from the U.S. Department of Education:
The second phase of the Obama administration's Race to the Top competition drew applications from 35 states and the District of Columbia seeking to win a share of $3.4 billion provided by Congress to drive education reform. Between the current phase and the first phase, which drew 41 applications, 47 states have applied to this program.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan commended all of the states that applied saying, "This took a lot of hard work and political courage. It required administrators, elected officials, union leaders, teachers, and advocates to work together and embrace a common reform agenda. Every state that applied now has a blueprint for raising educational quality across America."
Designed to incentivize excellence, drive reform, and promote the adoption and use of effective policies and practices, the Race to the Top program is backed by $4.35 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. Of that money, the Department set aside $350 million for a separate competition to improve the quality of assessments and awarded approximately $600 million to Phase 1 winners Delaware and Tennessee, leaving $3.4 billion for Phase 2.
The Department will select the Phase 2 winners over the summer using the same process as Phase 1. In the panel review stage, five expert reviewers will read and discuss each application. They will then score and comment on each application independently, and the applicant will be given a score based on the average of the five scores.
The Department will look for a natural break in the scores to identify finalists and invite them to D.C. to make in-person presentations to their review panels. Each reviewer will then submit final scores, and the Secretary will select awardees. Depending on the size of the winning states, 10-15 states could win Race to the Top grants. The administration will announce the winners before the end of September when the money must be legally obligated.
The Department of Education received the following applications prior to today's 4:30 deadline:
• Alabama
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Utah
• Washington
• Wisconsin
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