Tennessee one of 16 finalists for Race to the Top grants

By Jane Roberts - The Commercial Appeal

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Tennessee is one of 16 finalists in the first round of the federal Race to the Top competition, which will award $4.35 billion in grants to states pursuing innovative strategies to improve education, including increasing graduation rates.

Forty states and the District of Columbia submitted applications in January.

National education experts say Tennessee has one of the strongest applications and is expected to win in the first round of funding.

Part of the reason is the state is one of few with a comprehensive, long-term database of student test scores. The data can be used to trace student achievement in a particular teacher’s class over time, giving good indication of which teachers are the most effective.

Gov. Phil Bredesen says the state is also competitive for its reforms, including that it has raised standards for what students must know to graduate and increased the number of credits it takes to graduate, starting with this year’s freshmen.

It has also created a way for nonteachers to get licensed and in the classroom, important for areas such as math and science where it is difficult to find enough high-quality teachers.

Lawmakers this winter also approved sweeping changes that allow districts to use student test scores for up to half of a teacher’s job review.

“I want to thank the General Assembly, which adopted further landmark education reform legislation earlier this year with the support of the Tennessee Education Association and educators across the state,” Bredesen said. “I have no doubt this was a significant part of our success.”

Finalists will travel to Washington the week of March 15 to make presentations to peer reviewers evaluating Race to the Top applications. Winning states in the first round are expected to be announced in April, to be followed by a second round of competition later this year.

The other finalists are Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and South Carolina.

To see Tennessee’s Race to the Top proposal, go to gov/education.

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Tennessee one of 16 finalists for Race to the Top grants