(From The Denver Post, March 29, 2010)
By JEREMY P. MEYER
Colorado did not win in the first round of the federal education grant competition known as Race to the Top, the U.S. Department of Education announced this morning.
The winners are Tennessee and Delaware.
“We received many strong proposals from states all across America, but two applications stood out above all others: Delaware and Tennessee,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan. “Both states have statewide buy-in for comprehensive plans to reform their schools. They have written new laws to support their policies. And they have demonstrated the courage, capacity, and commitment to turn their ideas into practices that can improve outcomes for students.”
Delaware will receive approximately $100 million and Tennessee $500 million to implement their comprehensive school reform plans over the next four years.
Colorado was among the 16 states out of 40 and the District of Columbia tabbed as first-round finalists for a share of $4 billion in school improvement money.
Colorado applied for $377 million to augment its reform efforts, specifically to develop a cross-state data system.
The state had been a strong contender but most education experts placed Colorado’s chances as being slim to win in the first round because the state had not tackled tough issues such as teacher tenure, improving evaluation systems and removal of ineffective teachers.
But in a press conference this morning, Duncan discounted the suggestion that union buy-ins in Tennessee and Delaware were the big factors in their win for the Race to the Top grants.
“It’s a 500 point competition involving many factors. Everyone likes to think there’s one simple answer, but that’s not the case. We looked for the strongest applications overall,” Duncan said.
Colorado ranked No. 14 in the original review of applications, scoring 409.6 points out of 500. Delaware ranked No. 1, scoring 454.6 points.
Duncan said he was impressed by Delaware and Tennessee’s plans to involve 100 percent of their students. “Urban, rural and suburban,” he said. “It’s taking student success to an entirely different scale.”
Applicants for the second-round grants will be required to submit budgets within originally suggested ranges, which are based on each state’s population of kids aged 5 to 17.
Most first-round applications ignored the suggestions.
Tennessee is in category 3, eligible for grants ranging from $150 million to $250 million. Delaware is in category 5, eligible for $20 million to $75 million
Colorado is within category 4, for which the required range is between $60 million to $175 million.
In the second round, if there are enough strong applications, Duncan said he hopes to award between 10 and 15 grants.
Colorado’s education commissioner Dwight Jones said the state will apply for the second-round grants after reviewing feedback from the first application.
The U.S. Department of Education will have about $3.4 billion available for the second phase of the Race to the Top competition.
“We set a very high bar for the first phase,” Duncan said. “With $3.4 billion still available, we’re providing plenty of opportunity for all other states to develop plans and aggressively pursue reform.”
Applications for phase 2 will be due on June 1 with finalists announced in August and winners in September.
“I am totally impressed they are keeping the bar high,” said Van Schoales, who works for Education Reform Now. “For Colorado, they said, ‘That’s nice, but it’s not enough.’ Because you need substance behind it.”
The peer reviewers who evaluated the applications awarded the highest scores to Delaware and Tennessee for their commitment to reform from key stakeholders, including elected officials, teacher’s union leaders, and business leaders.
In both states, all school districts committed to implementing Race to the Top reforms.
Delaware and Tennessee also have aggressive plans to improve teacher and principal evaluation, use data to inform instructional decisions, and turn around their lowest-performing schools. In addition, both states have put in place strong laws and policies to support their reform efforts.