Congratulations to the states of Delaware and Tennessee, the winners of the first round of Race to the Top funding. Arne Duncan announced that, over the next four years, Delaware would get $100 million and Tennessee $400 million in federal funding.
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.
Georgia, ranked third in the contest, and Florida, considered a favorite to win, fell just short of a threshold for awards that Duncan set himself. More than $3 billion remains in the fund, and they could win some in a future round.
For states hoping to get their hands on subsequent rounds of funds, the Department of Education threw out another hoop to jump through: States will only be eligible for funds if they confine their budget requests to a predetermined range set by the department.
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