Every Thursday, REL-NEI highlights state-based resources, press releases, and news around the Northeast and Islands Region related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). For a listing of REL Issues & Answers Reports categorized under ARRA topics and domains, click here.
Race to the Top Finalist Presentations Now Online
With Phase 1 of the Race to the Top (RTTT) competition behind it and a pledge of transparency in government, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has posted on its website the 40 applications it received in Phase 1, as well as reviewers’ scores and comments. In addition, ED has posted videos of each of 16 finalists—including Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island—presenting their case to a panel of RTTT judges in March. “Grab the popcorn and the Junior Mints and invite your friends over for a Race to the Top presentation movie marathon,” says Alyson Klein of edweek.org.
Also in RTTT, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan on April 6th released $350 million of the funds to support states in developing and implementing a new generation of assessments. “States are leading the way in creating new standards designed to ensure that students graduate from high school ready for success in college and careers,” Duncan said. “To fully realize this vision, states need new assessments that measure a broader range of students’ knowledge and skills.” Funding will be awarded to consortia of at least 15 states. In addition, $30 million is set aside to fund better “end-of-course” assessments for high schools. Applications are due June 23rd, and money will be awarded in September, with all grants running for four years. Read the press release or an EdWeek article.
On April 15th, ED announced that Connecticut will receive $25.7 million through the Title I School Improvement Grant (SIG) program to turn around its persistently lowest-achieving schools. Partly funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), these grants are made available by formula directly to states, which distribute them to school districts that meet particular criteria. On April 15th and 16th, ED Director of Community Outreach Alberto Retana will visit Boston, Massachusetts, to discuss the SIG program with parents and stakeholders. The meeting with parents will take place at 6 p.m., April 15th, in Roxbury, and the meeting with education leaders, state officials, community leaders, and others is at 9 a.m. on Friday, April 16th, at Harvard University. For details, read the press release.
On April 12th, Secretary Duncan announced that the U.S. Virgin Islands will receive $47.5 million in ARRA funds to save teaching jobs and drive education reform. The funds are the jurisdiction’s share of Phase 1 of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF). The Virgin Islands will be eligible to apply for another $23.4 million in Phase 2. Including this new award, the Virgin Islands thus far has received $56.4 million in education stimulus funds, according to ED. The money “will assist us in maintaining education services, keeping teachers in the classrooms and at the same time, preventing the cutting of valuable education programs,” said Gov. John deJongh, Jr. in a prepared statement.
Maine Education Commissioner Susan Gendron on April 6th wrote a letter to superintendents inviting them to focused conversations on the state’s RTTT application and School Administrative Unit (SAU) participation. The final two meetings are April 26th and 27th, via videoconference. Read the letter to learn more. The Maine Department of Education also posted SAU applications for Phase 3 of SFSF for Fiscal Year 2011. Applications are due May 14th.
The Vermont Department of Education on April 12th posted updated documents on the SFSF program, including the state’s Phase 2 application. The DOE also posted documents that clarify the recent designation of the state’s 10 “persistently lowest-achieving schools,” as mandated by ED.
Finally, an April 9th article in EdWeek reports on an anticipated “funding cliff” that school districts across the country face as ARRA education funding dries up for the 2010–11 school year. “The cessation of ARRA dollars, paired with the continued budget strains at the state and local levels, … represents a one-two punch to education funding that will further insulate schools from economic recovery,” says a newly released report from the American Association of School Administrators, “and will likely translate into more budget cuts, more job cuts, and fewer resources for programs and personnel.”
For more information, visit these ARRA-related websites across the Northeast and Islands Region:
U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/index.html
State Recovery Sites
http://www.recovery.gov/?q=content/state-local-tribal-and-territorial-resources
State Education Agency Recovery Sites
Education Week’s “Schools and the Stimulus”
http://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/schools-stimulus/index.html
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