www.dadeinfo.com

Dade County Superintendent Patty Priest said officials in her county share similar doubts.
"I think most everyone is uncertain, even the state," Mrs. Priest said.

Superintendent Patty Priest had a piece of news for the school system that may potentially mean another positive mark for Dade County schools. Priest said she had seen a parallel between Dade’s work on the school improvement grants and a Race to the Top program being discussed at the state level. Priest has approached administrators involved with the Race to the Top program about Dade County’s being a pilot school since work with the program so closely resembles many things Dade County is already doing or working on. Priest said she was still learning more about the Race to the Top program and will give updates on her progress. If Dade schools were selected as part of the pilot schools, it could mean additional funds for next school year.

Three more Georgia school systems than in Round 1 added their names to a list of those that agreed to pilot Georgia's reforms.

Instead, the application notes passage of SB 84, which tightens ethics and training requirements for local school board members and gives the state power to step in when a school system risks losing accreditation.

Three new Georgia counties - Dade, Peach and Pulaski - joined in for Round II of the race.

The race is on: We find out tomorrow if Georgia is finalist again for Race to the Top grants
2:20 pm July 26, 2010, by Maureen Downey


U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will deliver a major speech on education reform and announce the Race to the Top finalists Tuesday, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.


Ok Larry, I will bet you lunch on this one. Georgia will be a finalist again. (I am not sure whether we will be a winner come September, as I think our uncertain political climate — we could elect a school superintendent dead set against Race to the Top, if John Barge wins — might hurt us in the final award round.)


We narrowly missed getting grant in round one. We’ll see if our third place finish, after winners Tennessee and Delaware, works for us tomorrow.

Between Round 1 and 2, three local school systems were added to the 23 that agreed to pilot Georgia's reforms

Georgia again a finalist in Race to the Top competition
By Nancy Badertscher


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

12:33 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Georgia has emerged again as a top contender for millions of dollars in federal education money.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced Tuesday that Georgia and 18 other states are finalists in Round 2 of the Race to the Top competition.

Duncan has said 10 to 15 states are likely to be selected in the next few weeks to share in $3.4 billion of Round 2 money. Georgia could potentially claim up to $400 million for education reform initiatives.

Winners will be announced in late August or early September.

Georgia was the third-highest scorer when 40 states and the District of Columbia participated earlier this year in Round 1 of the competition, which President Obama has said is meant to promote innovative education reforms that can be replicated across the country. But only two states were selected in March to receive the grants: Delaware ($100 million) and Tennessee ($500 million).

Thirty-six applications were submitted in this round, and officials in Georgia -- though they were expecting to make it into the finals -- were elated when the official word came down.

Duncan is slated to announce the finalists in a speech before the National Press Club in Washington. In addition to Georgia, they are: Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.

All of the finalists scored at least 400 points out of a possible 500. Collectively, they are asking for $6.2 billion, or almost twice what's available.

Georgia's current application was not measurably different from the original, but fleshed out some ideas that federal reviewers in Round 1 found vague.

The212-page application highlighted the passage of legislation this year that gives the state the power to intervene in troubled school districts. It also touted Gov. Sonny Perdue's support for using student achievement as a measure of a teacher's job evaluation.

Teachers' groups have criticized the state's application, saying it should have included their input.

Race to the Top applications are judged on four key areas: standards and assessment; data systems that support instruction; "great" teachers and leaders; and turning around the lowest-achieving schools.

In Round 1, applications were judged on a 500-point scale, and Georgia lost out by less than 11 points.

Perdue vowed early on that Georgia would be a Race to the Top winner, despite some setbacks and continued opposition from teachers' groups.

Reviewers praised the state's efforts over the past decade to overhaul Georgia's school curriculum and unify learning initiatives. They noted the state's nationally rated charter school law, school-based "graduation coaches" and new "flexibility" contracts allowing local systems to free themselves from state mandates in exchange for school progress.

Between Round 1 and 2, three local school systems were added to the 23 that agreed to pilot Georgia's reforms. They include the school districts of Atlanta and Cherokee, Clayton, DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.

By Shannon McCaffrey and Dorie Turner

ATLANTA — Hours after saying he would reject “Race to the Top” money for schools, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Nathan Deal reversed course Tuesday and said he would keep the federal funds.

At a morning candidate forum, Deal said he would decline the grant money because accepting it would require the state to sign on to a standardized classroom curriculum. Later, Deal told The Associated Press he was incorrect and that such a curriculum is not a condition of the program.

“I have to stand corrected,” Deal said in a telephone interview. “I would keep the money.”

Karen Handel, Deal’s opponent in the Aug. 10 runoff, told business leaders at Tuesday’s forum that she would accept the money — which could total $400 million — if Georgia is chosen.

“As long as we’re paying taxes to the federal government I think I have a responsibility to make sure Georgia gets its fair share,” Handel said. “I do think we should not turn our nose up at it.”

At the forum hosted by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Deal said the federal money comes with “strings attached,” namely that the state would have to stick to a standardized curriculum. There is no standardized curriculum component of Race to the Top, but states are encouraged to adopt Common Core, a state-led initiative headed in part by Gov. Sonny Perdue that outlines what students should know by the time they graduate high school.

Handel’s campaign seized on the misstep.

“Nathan should try to understand policy before he tries to use it to make political hay,” said Handel spokesman Dan McLagan.

Georgia is one of 19 finalists in the second round of the $3.4 billion “Race to the Top” school reform grant competition, which aims to encourage innovation among states that will close the achievement gap and turn around the lowest performing schools.

Gov. Sonny Perdue has made the state’s application a top education priority and has pushed through reforms — like adopting Common Core and forming a study committee to create a merit pay system for educators — to make the state more competitive.

Georgia just missed winning the money in the first round, placing third out of 40 states. Just two states — Delaware and Tennessee — won grants in March, totaling $600 million.

Winners are expected to be announced in late August or early September.

Deal, a former congressman from North Georgia, and Handel, the former secretary of state, are battling for the Republican nomination for governor in next week’s runoff. They were the top vote getters in the July 20 primary.

The winner will face Democrat Roy Barnes in the November general election.

Barnes’ campaign said the state should keep the funds if it wins.

Under Georgia’s “Race to the Top” application, the state would spread its grant money to 26 participating school districts out of the 180 in the state.

Those districts, which represent nearly half of the students in Georgia, include many in Deal’s former congressional district in north Georgia.

ATLANTA — The U.S. Education Department says at least four states will receive money in the second round of the $4.35 billion "Race to the Top" school reform grant competition.

Department spokesman Justin Hamilton says the winners so far are Georgia, New York, North Carolina and Ohio. More winners are expected to be announced Tuesday.

The competition has instigated a wave of reforms across the country, as states passed new teacher accountability policies and lifted caps on charter schools to boost their chances of winning.

The aim of the historic program is to reward ambitious changes to improve schools and close the achievement gap.

Tennessee and Delaware were named winners in the first round of the competition in March, sharing $600 million. The states named winners on Tuesday will share a remaining $3.4 billion.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer says New York will win millions of dollars in federal education funding when "Race to the Top" program grants are announced Tuesday.

The amount of the award hasn't been disclosed. It is expected to be announced along with the full list of winning states in the afternoon.

The competition has instigated a wave of reforms across the country, as states passed new teacher accountability policies and lifted caps on charter schools to boost their chances of winning.

The aim of the historic program is to reward ambitious changes to improve schools and close the achievement gap.

Tennessee and Delaware were named winners in the first round of the competition in March, sharing $600 million. The states named winners Tuesday will share a remaining $3.4 billion.