In an effort to encourage individual states to step up to the plate and elevate the quality of education in the U.S., the federal government will grant more than $4 billion to states who placed at the top of the class on their state report cards. This effort is to promote President Obama’s goal of creating a better educated America. States will not only work to improve educational standards within each state but also share ideas and learn from each other.
To compete for the winning prize, states must adhere to the following guidelines:
- They must create the best college and career-ready assessments.
- The state must build an effective workforce of effective educators.
- Individual states must track data to support student achievement.
- States must turn around the lowest performing schools.
Below is the state-by-state report card for participating states:
States that Earned an “A”
- Massachusetts
- Delaware
- Rhode Island
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Ohio
- Kentucky
- Illinois
- Tennessee
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
- Florida
- Louisiana
- Colorado
- Maryland
States that Earned a “B”
- New Jersey
- Indiana
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Iowa
- Colorado
- Hawaii
States that Earned a “C”
- Wisconsin
- Missouri
- Kansas
- New Mexico
- California
- Idaho
- Wyoming
- Connecticut
States that Earned a “D”
- New Hampshire
- West Virginia
- Virginia
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
- Nebraska
- Oregon
States that Earned an “F”
- South Dakota
- Arizona
The following states did not participate in the competition: Alaska, Texas, Nevada, Washington, Montana, and North Dakota.
The overall winners for the first round were Delaware and Tennessee. Tennessee will receive $500 million for a plan to identify and overhaul the state’s worst performing schools within two years and for giving bonuses to outstanding teachers and principals willing to work in the toughest, academically-challenged schools. Delaware will receive $100 million for lifting the cap on the state’s number of new charter schools and adding new measures that base teacher pay and promotions on how well students perform.
Delaware’s teachers’ union gave 100% support for the race-to-the-top bid while Tennessee’s teachers’ union offered about 90% support. Many people were surprised when Tennessee and Delaware emerged as winners over Florida; however, only about 10 percent of Florida’s teachers’ union supported Florida’s race-to-the-top bid.
States that did not fare well in the first round will have the opportunity to vie for federal money in round two. In the next round, the federal government will award $3.4 billion to 15 more states in an effort to promote educational innovation and motivation to create a more educated America.
