Race to the Top Awards $3.4 Billion in Grants

All of America has been anxiously awaiting the U.S. Education Department’s announcement regarding the winners of the second and final round of the Race to the Top competition.
Thirty-five states and Washington D.C. all submitted applications that were then narrowed down to 19 finalists a couple of months ago.
CNN.com released the news via twitter that the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Rhode Island are the lucky recipients of the contest prize.
The contest winners will receive a portion of the $3.4 billion budget available based on their new plans to restructure their education systems based on the U.S. Education Department’s school reform goals. They also sent representatives to the nation’s capital to present their plans this summer and advocate for their part of the money. The student population of the states and D.C. will determine the amount of the $3.4 billion that each education system will receive.
The restructured submissions needed to include plans to turn around low performing schools, adopt college and career-ready standards, employ effective teachers and principals, and use data systems to support student achievement, according to CNN.
In earlier consideration, Tennessee was awarded a grant of $500 million and Delaware was awarded $100 million to be dispersed over a four-year plan.