Race to the Top
Race to the Top focuses on High-need students. High-need students means students at risk of educational failure or otherwise in need of special assistance and support, such as students who are living in poverty, who attend high-minority schools (as defined in this notice), who are far below grade level, who have left school before receiving a regular high school diploma, who are at risk of not graduating with a diploma on time, who are homeless, who are in foster care, who have been incarcerated, who have disabilities, or who are English language learners (1).
States/Schools that would like to participate and receive additional funding must meet the Selection criteria. All of the concepts are awarded points (500 total) so each aspect can be evaluated fairly and consistently.
A. State Success Factors
B. Standards and Assessments
C. Data Systems to Support Instruction
D. Great Teachers and Leaders
E. Turning Around the Lowest-Achieving Schools
F. General Selection Criteria
Experts note that it is “too soon to tell” regarding the outcomes of Race to the Top. There is criticism that education should not be a competition among states, but a more united approach. Others believe that the funding incentive does promote innovation and equality.
United States Department of Education. (2009 November). Race to the Top Program Executive Summary. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/executive-summary.pdf
Race to the Top focuses on High-need students. High-need students means students at risk of educational failure or otherwise in need of special assistance and support, such as students who are living in poverty, who attend high-minority schools (as defined in this notice), who are far below grade level, who have left school before receiving a regular high school diploma, who are at risk of not graduating with a diploma on time, who are homeless, who are in foster care, who have been incarcerated, who have disabilities, or who are English language learners (1).
States/Schools that would like to participate and receive additional funding must meet the Selection criteria. All of the concepts are awarded points (500 total) so each aspect can be evaluated fairly and consistently.
A. State Success Factors
- Articulating State’s education reform agenda and school districts participation in it
- Building strong statewide capacity to implement, scale up, and sustain proposed plans
- Demonstrating significant progress in raising achievement and closing gaps
B. Standards and Assessments
- Developing and adopting common standards
- Developing and implementing common, high-quality assessments
- Supporting the transition to enhanced standards and high-quality assessments
C. Data Systems to Support Instruction
- Fully implementing a statewide longitudinal data system
- Accessing and using State data
- Using data to improve instruction
D. Great Teachers and Leaders
- Providing high-quality pathways for aspiring teachers and principals
- Improving teacher and principal effectiveness based on performance
- Ensuring equitable distribution of effective teachers and principals
- Improving the effectiveness of teacher and principal preparation programs
- Providing effective support to teachers and principals
E. Turning Around the Lowest-Achieving Schools
- Intervening in the lowest-achieving schools
- Turning around the lowest- achieving schools
F. General Selection Criteria
- Making education funding a priority
- Ensuring successful conditions for high-performing charters and other innovative schools
- Demonstrating other significant reform conditions
Experts note that it is “too soon to tell” regarding the outcomes of Race to the Top. There is criticism that education should not be a competition among states, but a more united approach. Others believe that the funding incentive does promote innovation and equality.
United States Department of Education. (2009 November). Race to the Top Program Executive Summary. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/executive-summary.pdf