Reporters Puzzled by Edujobs Estimates

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the emergency jobs bill that is supposed to save 160,000 teaching jobs around the country.

A spreadsheet on the House Education and Labor Committee website shows how much money each state should receive and how many teaching jobs each state should save.

But reporters were skeptical during a press conference call held today by Arne Duncan after the jobs bill was passed. For example, columnist Peter Callaghan of the Tacoma News Tribune told Duncan that he had a hard time finding districts that needed to rehire teachers in Washington ...

Posted Aug. 10, 2010 7:16 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

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

Study: Connecticut One of Few States Spending Above Pre-recession Levels

Connecticut is one of just seven states that has elevated spending above the levels budgeted before the recent recession, after adjustments for inflation and federal assistance are made, according to a recent study by a nonprofit fiscal policy think-tank. Keith M. Phaneuf, Connecticut Mirror, Aug. 8, 2011

Posted Aug. 10, 2011 4:27 p.m.

Say Goodbye to Michigan Teachers: As School Budgets Shrink, So Do Their Numbers

Hundreds of new teachers are leaving Michigan for positions in other states, a reflection of Michigan’s wealth of teaching colleges, shrinking number of students and budget woes that have forced schools to cut staffs. Terri Finch Hamilton, Grand Rapids Press, Aug. 8, 2011

Posted Aug. 8, 2011 4:18 p.m.

The year school budget cuts went straight to the classroom

In many states, this was the second or third or fourth year of budget cuts to education since the recession began. What makes this year different from the previous two years is that more school districts are running out of ways to absorb the cuts without affecting what takes place in the classroom. Decisions made by legislatures have contributed to teacher layoff debates in school systems large and small, from New York City to New Albany, Indiana. Josh Goodman, Stateline, June 14, 2011

Posted June 15, 2011 10:50 a.m.

Growth in Education Spending Slowed in 2009

The nation&'s overall education spending grew at a slower pace in 2009 than at any other time in more than a decade, amid deepening state fiscal woes and flatter tax revenues, according to new census figures released Wednesday. Winnie Hu and Robert Gebeloff, The New York Times, May 25, 2011

Posted May 26, 2011 9:39 a.m.

Without aid, Detroit may close half of its schools

Detroit Public Schools would close nearly half of its schools in the next two years, and increase high school class sizes to 62 by the following year, under a deficit-reduction plan filed with the state. Jennifer Chambers, The Detroit News, Jan. 12, 2011

Posted Jan. 13, 2011 4:08 p.m.

GCS budget OK even without ‘Race to the Top’

Despite Michigan’s failure to qualify as a finalist in the second round of the federal Race to the Top initiative — a grant which would have brought $400 million to the state to implement educational reforms — Gaylord Community School’s budget will not be impacted. By Michael Jones, Gaylord Herald Times

Posted Aug. 22, 2010 11:01 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.

Editorial: Aim funds smartly for struggling schools

About a third of the 108 deemed eligible for a new program for struggling schools won't get much if any federal money to turn themselves around because they simply won't exist long enough to take part.

Posted June 21, 2010 7:28 p.m.

NJ adopts new federal standards for math, language arts

By adopting these standards, the state adds weight to its Race to the Top application. The federal grant competition gives preference to states that adopt the common standards by Aug. 2 The state also effectively quashed a war of words between two New Jersey groups with competing views on math instruction which had frustrated the state's previous efforts to adopt revised math standards.

Posted June 18, 2010 2:40 p.m.

Race to Top Buy-In Level Examined

States significantly increased buy-in from local teachers’ unions in round two of the Race to the Top competition, but made far less progress in enlisting districts or expanding the number of students affected by the states’ education reform plans. Those patterns emerged from an Education Week analysis of applications from 29 states and the District of Columbia, all of which entered both rounds of the $4 billion federal grant contest.

Posted June 16, 2010 3:36 p.m.

Michigan, Denver setting an example

President Obama was in Michigan on Monday to congratulate graduating seniors at Kalamazoo Central High School for reaching one goal. Then he pushed them to go further and succeed in college. He made it clear that their country is counting on them to help meet his goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by the end of the decade. It's a message that the president could give at any high school graduation, but Kalamazoo Central's graduates heard it in person because their school was the winner of the first annual Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge.

Posted June 11, 2010 9:35 p.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.

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.

Race to the Top

LANSING (WKZO) -- The State of Michigan has just turned in its second application for Race to the Top funding. They were eliminated in the first round for a share of 4-billion dollars in stimulus money. State Education officials have tweaked their application, gotten the teachers unions to support it this time, and are crossing their fingers.

Posted June 1, 2010 9:08 a.m.

Union, Megan Fox want funds to stop mass teacher layoffs

WASHINGTON — Facing a recession and the coming end of billions of dollars in federal stimulus funding, school districts nationwide are handing teachers pink slips for the upcoming school year. The Obama administration estimates that as many as 300,000 teachers could lose their jobs unless Congress steps in with emergency money, Greg Toppo, of USA Today, reports.

Posted May 5, 2010 3:19 p.m.

Detroit teachers union heads to D.C. to rally for public education, oppose Race to the Top

As Michigan prepares to apply for $400 million in federal funds via the second round of the Race to the Top competition, members of Detroit's teacher union are heading to Washington D.C. to voice opposition. "End the Race to the Top scheme now!" reads a message promoting the trip on the Detroit Federation of Teachers Web site.

Posted April 11, 2010 9:50 p.m.

MSU nursing school gets $7.5M stimulus grant for research

Michigan State University's nursing school is getting $7.5 million from the federal government to expand and consolidate its research activities.

Posted April 4, 2010 1:02 p.m.

Holland Public Schools receive $690,000 in stimulus funds

Holland, MI — Holland Public Schools will have access to federal stimulus funds, up to $690,000, for special education.

Posted March 19, 2010 10:02 a.m.

Michigan awarded $429 million in education stabilization funding to help support jobs

Michigan Sen. Carl Levin joined Sen. Debbie Stabenow yesterday in announcing $429 Million in education funding for Michigan made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Posted March 15, 2010 1:44 p.m.

Michigan's loss of Race to the Top funding doesn't negate need for school reforms

  Now that Michigan schools won't be getting $400 million in federal Race to the Top cash, some state educators say they're worried they are stuck with expensive reforms without the money needed to fund them, Dave Murray, of The Grand Rapids Press, reports.   

Posted March 5, 2010 8:29 a.m.

President Obama announces new "Race to the Top" competition to speak at one high school graduation

A high school in the Great Lakes Bay Region could one-up Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Delta College when graduation rolls around this spring. The White House and the U.S. Department of Education have announced a new “Race to the Top” challenge to U.S. public high schools called the Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge. The winning school will have President Barack Obama as its commencement speaker.

Posted Feb. 26, 2010 7:15 p.m.

Dueling Objectives Mark Stimulus at Halfway Point

A year ago, the federal floodgates opened for aid to education, releasing a one-time surge of up to $100 billion in economic-stimulus money aimed at both stabilizing and transforming the nation’s public education system. The results so far have been mixed, as weighed against the Obama administration’s twin goals for its unprecedented infusion of education funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Posted Feb. 8, 2010 11:58 a.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 funds will revive early education for 65 in Branch County

Six jobs will come to Branch County for the next two years from federal stimulus funds. But more important, the money will revive early education programs for 65 children.

Posted Jan. 25, 2010 9:27 a.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.

Michigan hopes reforms will win up to $400M in school aid

Michigan filed its application for federal funds to launch education reform with strong support from school districts but a dearth of union backing.

Posted Jan. 19, 2010 9:29 a.m.

Education Grant Effort Faces Late Opposition

The Obama administration’s main school improvement initiative has spurred education policy changes in states across the nation, but it is meeting with some last-minute resistance as the first deadline for applications arrives Tuesday. Still, about 40 states were rushing to complete applications for the Tuesday deadline, the first in the two-stage competition. The last-minute opposition is unlikely to derail efforts by most of those states to win some of the federal money.

Posted Jan. 18, 2010 10:04 p.m.

Stimulus funding a lifesaver for Michigan schools

Facing a budget shortfall, Brandywine School District has used stimulus funding, specifically IDEA and Title I funds, to save special ed teachers' jobs, The Niles Star reports.

Posted Jan. 15, 2010 1:12 p.m.

Special Ed Funds Redirected

Cash-strapped school districts are exploiting a new federal provision that allows them to shift stimulus dollars targeted for special education to general use.

Posted Jan. 12, 2010 4:34 p.m.

Schools aided by stimulus funds still facing cuts

School teachers and other school workers were hired back thanks in part to $100 billion in federal stimulus money. Yet many states are still facing budget deficits. 

Posted Jan. 11, 2010 2:43 p.m.

School Improvement Grant

Amount: $115,048,250

The stimulus fund provided an additional $3 billion to help turn around the lowest-performing schools with various school intervention models.

Awarded Dec. 3, 2009

Ed Tech

Amount: $24,409,625

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: $289,769,140

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 May 29, 2009

State Stabilization Fund

Amount: $1,302,368,992

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 May 29, 2009

Homeless Children and Youth

Amount: $2,360,691

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 April 10, 2009

IDEA B

Amount: $400,607,836

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 April 1, 2009

Title I

Amount: $389,902,873

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 April 1, 2009