‘Race to the Top’ Education Funds Awarded Washington, D.C. and 9 other States

The administration awarded $3.4 billion to nine states and Washington, D.C. in a national competition to encourage school reform that spurred far-reaching changes in many cash-starved states.

The awards unveiled yesterday are part of the administration’s $4.35 billion “Race to the Top” competition, launched last year, a program that set in motion a national effort to tie teacher evaluations to student achievement, increase the number of charter schools and overhaul low-performing schools.

The aim:

To reward ambitious changes to improve schools (K-12 education) and close the achievement gap. The competition 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.

For background on the Race to the Top initiative, check out NewsHour Education Correspondent John Merrow’s coverage as well as NewsHour Extra’s story .

Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., will receive grants from $75 million to $700 million each.

Here’s  dollar amount each state is slated to receive, and their point score:

• Washington, D.C.: $75 million. Score: 450.0
• Florida: $700 million. Score: 452.4
• Georgia: $400 million. Score: 446.4
• Hawaii: $75 million. Score: 462.4
• Maryland: $250 million. Score: 450.0
• Massachusetts: $250 million. Score: 471.0
• New York: $700 million. Score: 464.8
• North Carolina: $400 million. Score: 441.6
• Ohio: $400 million. Score: 440.8
• Rhode Island: $75 million. Score: 451.2

A number of states that did not win the competition still plan to proceed with the reforms they had proposed, though they acknowledged change would take place at a slower pace.

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