Reducing the Amount of Money Spent on Special Ed

What happens to special education when federal stimulus dollars run out?

IDEA Money Watch, a watchdog group that monitors special ed expenditures, including Recovery Act funds, fears that school districts could begin to cut back their spending in the coming year. And it has reason to.

In 2009, schools districts were allowed to supplant up to half of their local spending required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (the federal special ed law) with stimulus dollars. Now that the stimulus dollars are running out, they don't necessarily have to return their local allocations to the previous level ...

Posted July 18, 2011 noon | 0 comments

GAO Sizes Up States' Race to Top Work

The Government Accountability Office has published a progress report on Race to the Top, the U.S. Department of Education's highest-profile competitive grant program funded by the economic stimulus law. (Hat tip to Ed Money Watch over at the New America Foundation, which has an informative post summarizing the report.) The report examines, among other topics: (1) what states did to compete for the grants; (2) how winning states plan to use their share of the money; (3) challenges in implementing state reform efforts; and (4) the DOE's support and oversight of states’ use of Race to ...

Posted July 12, 2011 5:35 p.m. | 0 comments

Did Country's Education 'Moon Shot' Hit Its Target?

With contributions from Noah Bierman, Boston Globe; Liz Bowie, Baltimore Sun; Grace Merritt, Hartford (Conn.) Courant; Tara Malone, Chicago Tribune; Betsy Hammond, The (Portland) Oregonian; Andrea Eger, Tulsa World; Karel Holloway, The Dallas Morning News; Jeannette Rundquist, Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger; and John Mooney, NJSpotlight.com

In the two years since Congress made the federal government’s largest one-time investment in public schools, change has rippled through classrooms from coast to coast. Tennessee and Delaware have revamped their laws to promote the growth of charter schools. Massachusetts and Maryland have launched efforts to tie teacher evaluations to student performance. Reflecting similar moves ...

Posted Feb. 11, 2011 midnight | 0 comments

RTTT 2 Winner Roundup: Angles Galore

The U.S. Department of Education announced the 10 winners of the next phase of Race to the Top on Tuesday, and it included a couple of surprises. Many speculated that Illinois, Colorado and Louisiana would be in the top 10. Few folks expected Hawaii or Maryland to make the cut.

The winners, in order of ranking from top to bottom, were: Massachusetts, New York, Hawaii, Florida, Rhode Island, District of Columbia, Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina, Georgia and Ohio.

The Department of Education offered a roundup of rankings, a video statement by U.S. Secretary of ...

Posted Aug. 24, 2010 5:37 p.m. | 1 comments

Race to Top Part of Ed-News Marathon

(cross-posted at EdBeat)

I joined what seemed like half of the Washington ed world today for Arne Duncan’s speech at the National Press Club, where he winnowed the field of contenders vying for $3.4 billion in Race to the Top money to 18 states and the District of Columbia.

Based on how they fare on a complicated 500-point scoring rubric, the second-round winners ...

Posted July 27, 2010 6:07 p.m. | 0 comments

Updated! Race to the Top, Round 2 applications are in

Note: Links for applications updated June 23. The competition for the second round of billions in education stimulus dollars from the federal government will feature 36 competitors, the U.S. Department of Education said Tuesday.

That's just shy of the 41 applicants for Race to the Top in Round One. States have been busily writing new education laws, and begging school districts and teachers unions to sign off on applications to improve their chances at a grant. But some gave up on the challenge, and others said they were concerned about the extent they were ...

Posted June 1, 2010 6:38 p.m. | 0 comments

Updated: Who will apply for the next round of Race to the Top money?

Is the high bar Education Secretary Arne Duncan set after awarding the first Race to the Top awards getting lower? In the first round, there were 41 applicants. Kentucky is saying its lack of charter laws may make it pointless to reapply -- but it has decided to forge ahead. Minnesota was considering it, but the governor said it's not realistic without reforms and they are not going forward. The U.S. Department of Education's own analysis seems to indicate that major changes alone won't net a state a win in the future. "Both of the winning states built ...

Posted May 25, 2010 6 a.m. | 0 comments

20 states win grants for data work

Hoping to spur databases that track students from pre-K to college, the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences awarded $250 million in three-year grants this week to 20 states with money from the 2009 federal stimulus act.

The grants, which ranged from $5.1 million for Ohio to $19.7 million for New York will also promote links between students and teachers. A familiar refrain from Education Secretary Arne Duncan has been linking teacher pay to student test scores. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands applied.

While these ...

Posted May 22, 2010 10:34 a.m. | 0 comments

Updated: A review of the Race to the Top review process

A review of how Race to the Top finalist applications were scored by the Democrats for Education Reform, the Education Equality Project and Education Reform Now found that in some areas, scorers ignored the rules about scoring applications created by last year's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In others, states were given a pass undeservedly. And they found that states may have a misconception of what is important in other arenas.

"In some places, raters actually ignored the instructions given by the USDOE. For example, some raters awarded points in Data Systems ...

Posted April 27, 2010 6 a.m. | 0 comments

RTTT winners will be announced today

Later today, the U.S. Department of Education will tell us who wins cash in the first round of Race to the Top. After getting 41 applications, reviewers whittled the list to 16 finalists  -- Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee.

This month, each state sent representatives to D.C. for in-person interviews that Education Secretary Arne Duncan said would be the deciding factors, since all 16 finalists had scored above 400 points, out of a possible 500.

The predictions about who ...

Posted March 29, 2010 8:15 a.m. | 0 comments

RTTT finalists have a variety of backers, naysayers

So who really has the best shot at being a first round winner of the much-needed Race to the Top money?

It depends on whom you ask.

The Partnership for Learning says Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana and Tennessee have the best overall applications. The Washington-state based organization's mission is to ensure all students graduate from high school and be ready for college and work.  Colorado gets props because the state would take Denver's performance pay system for teachers statewide. Florida gets a nod for being a "trailblazer" of education reforms, having a comprehensive data system and charter-friendly ...

Posted March 22, 2010 6 a.m. | 0 comments

Links to the 16 finalists' RTTT applications

Now that the U.S. Department of Education has shrunk the list of potential phase 1 Race to the Top winners to 16, we thought we'd make it easier for you to compare and contrast their applications. Here's a list of links to the heavy duty documents. After the winners are named, the federal government said they would share reviewers' comments about the applications -- the winners and the losers.

*       Colorado

*       Delaware

*       District of Columbia

*       Florida

*       Georgia

Posted March 7, 2010 noon | 0 comments

More finalists than winners in the first phase of Race to the Top

Most of the 16 finalists in the first round of Race to the Top will go home as finalists -- not winners, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Thursday afternoon.

The finalists -- Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee -- all scored more than 400 points out of a maximum possible 500 on their applications so far, beating out 25 other applicants. In-person interviews later this month will determine who will win. Duncan said it's likely the group will be winnowed ...

Posted March 4, 2010 2:55 p.m. | 0 comments

The official list of RTTT finalists

All of these states' applications scored more than 400 points out of a maximum 500 points on their applications, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Thursday afternoon. But they won't all win. "We will announce those winners in April. We are setting a very high bar," Duncan said during a conference call with reporters. "We anticipate very few winners in Phase 1." 

*       Colorado
*       Delaware
*       District of Columbia
*       Florida
*       Georgia
*       Illinois
*       Kentucky
*       Louisiana
*       Massachusetts
*       New York
*       North Carolina
*       Ohio
*       Pennsylvania
*       Rhode Island
*       South Carolina
*       Tennessee

More of Duncan's comments to come.

Posted March 4, 2010 1:48 p.m. | 0 comments

15 states and D.C. named Race to the Top finalists

Race to the Top finalists are Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee, according to EdWeek.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will announce the round-one finalists for the department's two-round, $4.35 billion Race to the Top competition during a press conference call with reporters at 2:30 p.m. today. 

EdMoney.org will post the official list later today. Stay tune. 

Posted March 4, 2010 10 a.m. | 0 comments

President Obama seeks to expand Race to the Top program

President Barack Obama announced plans today to seek the expansion of the Race to the Top competition, requesting $1.35 billion in his 2011 budget.

The announcement comes as states competing for the first round of RTTT grants met today’s deadline to submit the stimulus grant application. A total of 40 states joined the competition for $4.35 billion in stimulus grants.  

“Offering our children an outstanding education is one of our most fundamental – perhaps our most fundamental obligation as a country,” said Obama, who made the announcement while visiting Graham Road Elementary in Falls Church, ...

Posted Jan. 19, 2010 3:52 p.m. | 0 comments

States compete vigorously for Race to the Top stimulus funds

States are completing comprehensive proposals, negotiating with local teachers unions and passing legislation that would allow them to compete for $4.35 billion from the Race to the Top Fund as the deadline approaches Jan. 19.

The Race to the Top initiative was designed to reward states that have raised student performance in the past and can accelerate achievement gains with innovative reforms.

The U.S. Department of Education is asking states competing for the stimulus dollars to develop comprehensive and coherent plans built around the four areas of reform outlined in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Neil King Jr., of ...

Posted Jan. 14, 2010 6 a.m. | 0 comments

School-Stimulus Benefit May Be Short-Lived In Massachusetts

Massachusetts and 11 other states made bold promises to win a share of the $4.3 billion handed out as part of the Race to the Top competition, but following through has its obstacles. Boston Globe, Feb. 13, 2011

Posted Feb. 13, 2011 9:30 a.m.

Mixed Report Card for Education Stimulus After 2 Years

Nearly $100 billion in aid saved jobs and spurred state policy overhauls, but the long-term impact remains to be seen as the recovery act reaches its second anniversary. Michele McNeil, Education Week, Feb. 12, 2011

Posted Feb. 12, 2011 9:32 a.m.

State Policymakers Talk Standards, Race to the Top, ESEA

Memo to Congress and the U.S. Department of Education: Stay out of the Common Core State Standards Initiative. At least that was the message at an Education Commission of the States forum session Friday from three state policymakers whose states have either won the Race to the Top competition (Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat from Tennessee) or are finalists (Dwight Jones, the state schools chief in Colorado, and Mitchell Chester, the state schools chief in Massachusetts.) By Alyson Klein, Education Week.

Posted Aug. 23, 2010 9:28 p.m.

Race to Top Madness (Sort of) Strikes Again!

Twenty-four hours from now, we'll at last know which states survived the first round of elimination to be finalists for Round Two of the Race to the Top sweepstakes. There's $3.4 billion still in the bank for the winning states.

Posted July 26, 2010 10:24 p.m.

Many States Adopt National Standards for Their Schools

Less than two months after the nation’s governors and state school chiefs released their final recommendations for national education standards, 27 states have adopted them and about a dozen more are expected to do so in the next two weeks. Their support has surprised many in education circles, given states’ long tradition of insisting on retaining local control over curriculum.

Posted July 21, 2010 11:08 p.m.

Opinion: With help from Mass., feds devise sound school standards

FEDERAL ACADEMIC standards have the potential to improve schools not just in low-achieving states, but also in Massachusetts. While some education reformers here are reluctant to stray from successful made-in-Massachusetts standards, the state Board of Education has good reason tomorrow to approve the so-called Common Core standards.

Posted July 19, 2010 11:45 p.m.

Can NJ Win Race to the Top Without Support of Teachers Union?

Massachusetts made a last-minute decision to apply for Race to the Top money with only mixed support from its teachers unions. California filed its application despite the opposition of its largest local union, the one representing Los Angeles teachers. But after Minnesota couldn’t get its teachers unions to buy into its bid, it decided not to apply at all. The same decision came in Indiana. "Without support from the union that represents more than 90 percent of Indiana's school districts, our application will not be competitively positioned," said Indiana’s schools superintendent, Tony Bennett. Then there’s New Jersey.

Posted June 30, 2010 8:09 a.m.

USDE: List of States Making RTTT-Related Changes

Here's the list from the USDE to go along with the claim that 23 states have made changes to their laws to try and win RTTT funding.  Make of it what you will. 

Posted June 6, 2010 11:37 a.m.

Virginia's stance against national standards is a blow for students

Virginia Officials say they don't want to go along with a federal push for common academic standards because their state standards are so much better. The argument is a little unconvincing considering that bureaucrats came up with it before knowing what the national standards would look like

Posted June 6, 2010 11:09 a.m.

Link to Race to the Top Phase 2 Applications

The Education Optimists blog provides direct links to all 36 RttT Phase 2 applications. So far, 26 and counting!

Posted June 2, 2010 9:35 a.m.

Vocational schools feel the pinch

Taunton -- As is the case with their traditional academic counterparts, many vocational high schools in Massachusetts are facing budgetary difficulties. “It’s basically a mirror image of all the other schools,” said Richard Gross, superintendent of Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical High School. While Bristol-Plymouth isn’t anticipating layoffs this coming fiscal year, it suffered cuts last year that resulted in a loss of about a dozen staff members.

Posted May 28, 2010 1:48 p.m.

Fall River schools will need $4M more to maintain services

FALL RIVER — In order to provide level services to students during the next academic year the school department’s budget will have to increase by $4 million, Superintendent Meg Mayo-Brown told members of the School Committee’s finance subcommittee Thursday. Mayo-Brown and interim recovery Chief Financial Officer Peter Deroeve presented the level services budget as the first step in formulating a budget for the 2010-2011 school year. The $4 million increase accounts for $700,000 in contractual obligations, the loss of $1.1 million in state fiscal stabilization funds that were provided through stimulus funding and the loss of additional American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funds that are being used during the current school year.

Posted May 3, 2010 9:36 a.m.

Tensions Flare in Race to Top's Second Round

With the second-round deadline for federal Race to the Top Fund grants less than six weeks away, states are rushing to raise the stakes on their education reform plans as they fight over the remaining $3.4 billion in prize money.

Posted April 30, 2010 4:32 a.m.

Lost bid for Obama school funds compounds school's budget woes

WESTFORD -- By itself, the news was not devastating, but taken together with a number of other financial setbacks, word given to the Nashoba Valley Technical School Committee Tuesday night that the state had lost its bid to win federal Race To The Top money was not good. If Massachusetts had not lost out to Delaware and Tennessee for grant funding, it would have meant an extra $36,000 a year for four years for schools like Nashoba Valley Tech at a time of dwindling local revenue and reductions in aid from the state.

Posted April 21, 2010 9:30 a.m.

For some, stimulus aid begins in the classroom

Haverhill High School senior Gladys Payano is like a lot of ambitious kids her age. She studies hard, holds down a part-time job, volunteers in her community, and is looking forward to graduation in the spring. But despite being a member of the HHS class of 2010, Gladys doesn’t attend class there — she earns her credits across town at Northern Essex Community College. Payano has benefited from federal stimulus funds distributed through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and targeted specifically for community colleges.

Posted April 16, 2010 5:26 p.m.

MIT receives $100k in stimulus funds to study electric gridstudy

Cambridge -- MIT will receive $100,000 in Recovery Act funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to conduct a study of the electric grid, Senator John Kerry today announced Tuesday.

Posted March 19, 2010 10:43 a.m.

Who’s Winning the Race to the Top?

After reviewing all the available state applications, totaling thousands of pages, I’ve grouped the 40 applying states (and D.C.) into three categories: very competitive (three states); competitive (four states); and likely losers (33 states, including four last-minute flameouts). With luck, both the winners and the losers in Race to the Top will prompt further education reform across the nation.

Posted Feb. 26, 2010 7:14 p.m.

With Federal Stimulus Money Gone, Many Schools Face Budget Gaps

Federal stimulus money has helped avoid drastic cuts at public schools in most parts of the nation, at least so far. But with the federal money running out, many of the nation's schools are approaching what officials are calling a “funding cliff.

Posted Feb. 7, 2010 11:07 p.m.

Stimulus money on table at tonight's joint budget session

The school department has come up with a plan for using federal stimulus money to soften the blow of cutbacks in their proposed level services budget. Officials are relatively confident that Hingham schools in Massachusetts will receive $965,000 in federal grant money that was promised last year.

Posted Feb. 4, 2010 11:19 a.m.

States Rush to Join Testing Consortia

Spurred by the promise of $350 million in Race to the Top money for improved tests—as well as an opportunity to strengthen bids for part of the federal fund’s larger $4 billion pot states are scrambling to join consortia to develop common assessments.

Posted Feb. 1, 2010 11:22 a.m.

Massachusetts governor signs bill designed to close achievement gaps

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed a sweeping education bill that will greatly increase the number of charter schools, grant superintendents the power to overhaul failing districts, and make the state eligible for up to $250 million in federal stimulus money, the Boston Globe reports.

Posted Jan. 20, 2010 3:35 p.m.

Race to the Top: 41 Applications Submitted for Phase 1

40 states and the District of Columbia submitted applications to compete in Phase 1 of Race to the Top. Those 41 applicants are listed below. (Today was the deadline for submitting those applications.)

Posted Jan. 19, 2010 5:15 p.m.

Massachusetts schools brace for deep cuts

School administrators across the state are crafting bleak budgets for the next school year and warning of steep cutbacks, including teacher layoffs, to cope with a probable sharp drop in funding and dwindling federal stimulus money.

Posted Jan. 13, 2010 9:38 a.m.

Massachusetts competing for Race To The Top funds

School districts in Massachusetts are racing towards meeting Wednesday's deadline that would allow them to compete for the federal Race to the Top funds.

Posted Jan. 11, 2010 12:54 p.m.

Race to the Top

Amount: $250,000,000

The purpose of the Race to the Top Fund is to encourage and reward States that are creating the conditions for education innovation and reform; achieving significant improvement in student outcomes; and implementing ambitious plans in the four core education reform areas: achieving equity in teacher distribution, improving collection and use of data, raising standards and assessments, and supporting struggling schools.

Awarded Sept. 24, 2010

State Stabilization Fund

Amount: $49,674,274

The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) program is a one-time appropriation of $53.6 billion distributed directly to states to: help stabilize state and local government budgets in order to minimize and avoid reductions in education and other essential public services; help ensure that school districts have the resources to avert cuts and retain educational personnel and staff; help support the modernization, renovation, and repair of schools.

Awarded Dec. 3, 2009

Title I

Amount: $163,680,278

Title I, Part A, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) received $10 billion for schools with high concentrations of students from families who live in poverty. The guidelines call for educators to implement innovative strategies to improve teaching and learning and to close the achievement gap for at-risk students. The Education Department's website notes that the funding should enable schools to serve more students than the estimated 20 million previously covered by Title 1.

Awarded Aug. 31, 2009

State Stabilization Fund

Amount: $180,954,993

The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) program is a one-time appropriation of $53.6 billion distributed directly to states to: help stabilize state and local government budgets in order to minimize and avoid reductions in education and other essential public services; help ensure that school districts have the resources to avert cuts and retain educational personnel and staff; help support the modernization, renovation, and repair of schools.

Awarded Aug. 14, 2009

Ed Tech

Amount: $10,545,670

The Ed Tech Grants program's goal is to ensure that every student is technologically literate by the end of 8th grade and to encourage the effective integration of technology with teacher training and curriculum development. States may retain up to 5 percent of their allocations for state-level activities, and must award at least one half of the remainder competitively to eligible districts. The stimulus fund provided $650 million toward the grants.

Awarded July 24, 2009

State Stabilization Fund

Amount: $813,303,212

The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) program is a one-time appropriation of $53.6 billion distributed directly to states to: help stabilize state and local government budgets in order to minimize and avoid reductions in education and other essential public services; help ensure that school districts have the resources to avert cuts and retain educational personnel and staff; help support the modernization, renovation, and repair of schools.

Awarded April 1, 2009

Homeless Children and Youth

Amount: $1,118,480

The additional $70 million from the stimulus for the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth program more than doubled the dollars available to help districts meet the educational and other needs of homeless children and youth.

Awarded Feb. 17, 2009

IDEA B

Amount: $280,551,559

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) comes in two parts. IDEA Part B provides funds to states, school districts, and charter schools to ensure that children with disabilities, including pre-schoolers ages 3 to 5, have access to a "free and appropriate" public education. The stimulus dollars targeted for IDEA Part B call for states to implement "innovative strategies" to improve outcomes for children and youths with disabilities while stimulating the economy. The ARRA funding provided $11.3 billion to states and another $400 million in preschool funding. "

Awarded Feb. 17, 2009