The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has released the final rules for the American Reauthorization and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Race to the Top (RTTT) Fund. The final rules include not only the formal application that states will need to complete in order to be considered for either Phase I or Phase II of federal funding but also a revised RTTT Executive Summary and an Executive Summary of the Major Changes the DOE made to the application based upon comments from the education field.
Of significant interest to states will likely be two key areas:
- The formal framework that the DOE has developed which provides a weighted scale for each of the four assurances.
- The Technical Assistance Planning Workshops the DOE will be holding this December for States who are considering applying. The DOE has announced that two sessions will be held:
December 10 in the Washington, D.C. area.
In response to the release of the final RTTT rules Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire issued a brief statement expressing her hope for Washington states’ opportunity to receive a RTTT grant award: “We are appreciative that the Department shares our view on the importance of teachers and school leaders. Great teachers and great principals give kids great opportunities to succeed. We are ready to continue our work in these areas.”
Based upon the Governor’s statement above, and the press release from her visit to Puget Sound area schools that display characteristics of the four RTTT assurances, it appears that the Governor and the State are signaling to stakeholders that they are determined to make the necessary reforms within Washington that will allow the state to submit a strong, competitive RTTT application.
Or so I hope…
Anne Luce is a guest blogger and graduate student at Seattle University earning a master’s
degree in public administration, with a focus on education.
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