Rep. Costa Announces That California Will Advance In Race To The Top Program

Press Release

Federal grant program would better prepare Valley students for college and the workplace

Congressman Jim Costa joined with the Department of Education today to announce that California is a finalist in the second round of funding in the $4.35 billion Race to the Top program. The Race to the Top program awards grants to states to strengthen local education systems and better prepare students for college and the workplace. States competing for Race to the Top funds were asked to document past education reform successes, as well as outline plans to: extend reforms using college and career-ready standards and assessments; build a workforce of highly effective educators; create educational data systems to support student achievement; and turn around their lowest-performing schools.

The finalists chosen today will travel to Washington during the week of Aug. 9 to present their plans to the peer reviewers who scored their applications. After the state's presentations and an extended question-and-answer period, the peer reviewers will finalize their scores and comments. The Department intends to announce the winners of the competition in September.

The 19 finalists announced are: Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.

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