Nine states and the District of Columbia will get money to reform schools in the second round of the $4.35 billion "Race to the Top" grant competition, The U.S. Education Department said Tuesday.
Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., will receive grants, department spokesman Justin Hamilton said. The amounts for each state were expected to be announced later.
A story from the AP says, the historic program, part of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan, rewards states for taking up ambitious changes to improve struggling schools, close the achievement gap and boost graduation rates.
The competition instigated a wave of reforms across the country, as states passed new teacher accountability policies and lifted caps on charter schools to boost their chances of winning.
Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia applied for the second round of the competition, and the Education Department named 19 finalists in July.
The applicants named winners Tuesday will share $3.4 billion. Another $350 million is coming in a separate competition for states creating new academic assessments.
Click here to read more of this story from the AP.
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