The End is in Sight for Round One Race to the Top Finalists

Bold Finalist States Represent a Call to Action for Washington

Sixteen of the 41 applicants that applied in Round I of Race to the Top were identified today as finalists for the federal competitive grant program, which will award a total of $4.35 billion in stimulus funds to states that present the most promising education reform plans. The finalists are: Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Applications were evaluated against a 500 point rubric and a nationwide network of 58 peer reviewers that included teachers, principals, superintendents, college professors, scholars, business leaders and education advocates advised education Secretary Arne Duncan in his decision. All finalist states scored over 400 points.

The road ahead for the 16 finalists includes a trip to Washington D.C. to meet with Secretary Duncan and senior staff from the Department of Education to verify and clarify the states’ reform plan to ensure that implementation is possible. The winners in Round I of Race to the Top are scheduled to be announced in April and, following the announcement, the department will publish the scores and comments for each applicant. According to the Department of Education, less than 10 states will likely win in the first round and no more than half of the total grants will be awarded to ensure robust competition in Round II.

Given the decision by Governor Gregoire to apply in Round II of Race to the Top, Washington has a slight advantage in that the state can reference all Round I applications and closely review those of the finalists in the development of the state’s application. Furthermore, the decision to apply in Round II provides the state legislature the opportunity to implement policies that align to those in Race to the Top. To this end, it is critical for Washington to pass crucial education reforms this legislative session that will help Washington’s application shine, including:

• Provisions to allow for state intervention and turnaround in low-achieving schools;
• Adoption of the Common Core Standards;
• Expansion of alternative routes to certification for teachers and leaders;
• And, implementation of a new four-tiered teacher and leader evaluation system with student growth as a significant factor.

With Round II applications due on June 1, the state is gearing up to develop an application that allows Washington to demonstrate boldness and innovation against the four assurances: Standards and Assessments, Great Teachers and Leaders, Turnaround Schools and Data Systems to Support Instruction.

View PFL’s spotlight on bold state finalists.

For more information on Washington’s current Race to the Top policy legislation, SB 6696, please read this helpful analysis.

To access the Department of Education’s Race to the Top criteria and guidelines, visit their website.

Greater detailed analysis on the Race to the Top Round I finalist applications will be provided shortly. Check back soon!