President Obama will visit the Falls Church area’s Graham Road Elementary School this morning where he willl announce his plans to continue the “Race to the Top challenge,” requesting $1.35 billion for the program in his upcoming Fiscal Year 2011 budget.
The program is one of the largest investments in education reform in history, according to the White House, and is one part of a larger education reform agenda that the Administration will unveil in the coming weeks, including the continuation of the “Race to the Top’s” companion program, the “Invest in Innovation Fund.”
According to a White House statement, “As the first deadline approaches for the states to apply for the challenge, the President’s plan will support further incentives for states to revise, strengthen and implement their plans for education reform in order to qualify for an award under the program. This plan will also invigorate district-level reform by expanding the ‘Race to the Top’ beyond just states but to school districts ready to embark on system-wide improvement of their education policies and practices.”
A White House statement quotes Education Secretary Arne Duncan, “The competition has generated an overwhelming response from over 30 states in just the first round of funding. By continuing, we have an opportunity to create incentives for far-reaching improvement in our nation’s schools.”
A fact sheet on the “Race for the Top challenge” was placed on the White House’s website, www.WhiteHouse.gov, this midnight EST.
