Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) announced that North Carolina was selected as a winner of the Race to the Top competition, which will provide the state with a portion of the $4 billion dollar U.S. Department of Education fund designed to improve schools and academic outcomes for all students. North Carolina is one of 10 states and the District of Columbia awarded, out of more than 35 applicants.
“I am incredibly proud of North Carolina for their success in this competition. It not only shows the high level of innovation and creativity our educators and administrators are already employing in educating our children, but also shows that they are setting serious benchmarks for further improvement,” said Rep. Shuler. “Last year North Carolina had more nationally certified teachers than any other state in the country. We are already blessed with outstanding educators, principals, and staff. This funding will give our teaching professionals additional resources to prepare North Carolina’s youths for success throughout their lives.”
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a letter to the winning states, “We know that real and meaningful change in public education—the kind that results in dramatically better outcomes for all of our students—comes from setting the highest expectations and doing the hard work of comprehensive reform.”
The Race to the Top fund is designed to encourage states to develop reforms in adopting universal standards and assessments, creating systems to measure student achievement, improving teacher recruitment and retention, and building success in the schools with the lowest current achievement levels. The Department of Education website says, “Awards in Race to the Top will go to States that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive education reform.”
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