(From Education Week, April 7, 2010)
By LESLI A. MAXWELL and MICHELE MCNEIL
By selecting just two states as first-round Race to the Top winners, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is leaving $3.4 billion on the table for the remaining states to vie for in round two.
Delaware and Tennessee beat out 14 other finalists last week to win the first grants awarded in the $4 billion Race to the Top Fund competition.
Mr. Duncan praised the two states, which edged out front-runners Florida and Louisiana, for mustering strong district and teachers’-union support for their plans, for having superior data systems, and for submitting comprehensive proposals that touched “every single child” statewide.
And he challenged states to compete as vigorously for round-two grants, saying there could be 10 to 15 winners. Applications are due June 1, and the awards will be made in September.
“We now have two states that will blaze the path for the future of education reform,” Mr. Duncan said in a conference call with reporters. In looking ahead to round two, he said, “I challenge states to put their best foot forward. We want to fund as many strong proposals as possible.”