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CAT Tracks for January 15, 2010
RACE TO THE $$$ |
School districts and states scramble to meet RTTT January 19th deadline.
The sounds being made remind me of Thanksgiving...
Grovel, Grovel, Grovel!
From the WPSD TV Channel 6...
Schools compete for $100B in stimulus dollars
By Lauren Adams
MARSHALL COUNTY, KY- Crowded around desks, first grade students are using red and yellow chips to solve math problems at Benton Elementary.
The school, teacher Julie Teague says, is taking a different approach to math, "They're not sitting with paper and pencil type work."
During daily math lessons, hands shoot up. "They love math, when math time comes they are pumped," Teague continued.
Marshall County Superintendent Trent Lovett is pleased with the progress, "Every student in there scored distinguished."
In fact, since this school started the new initiative, test scores have jumped from the 86 percentile to the 97th. That's one reason the school is on board for 'Race To The Top.' It's a federal grant program using stimulus dollars and it would mean the chance to better develop core classes.
"We have systems that aren't broke but we've reached a plateau stage and it's time to go to the next level," Lovett said.
State education officials are asking for $200 million dollars over four years. The are confident they will receive at least some of that money.
"All 174 of our school districts have formally signed on to our 'Race To The Top' application. That means they support the kinds of things we want to do. That's not the case in every state," Lisa Gross, Communications Director for The Kentucky of Education Department, said during a phone interview Thursday.
Kentucky's application, meanwhile, will be delivered to The U.S. Department of Education Friday.
The race, Lovett says, is on, "We're doing everything we can to get there."
It is for good reason. "These children- it could change their lives," Teague said.
This spring 8-10 states will learn about approval for their funding. A second wave of approvals is expected in June or July. In all, about 40 states are seeking the 100 billion dollars for education-related support.
In fact, that same day, Governor Steve Beshear signed a law that will allow the state to compete for that money.
The Illinois Department of Education reports they're requesting in excess of 500 million dollars. In Missouri, education officials are still preparing their application and say the amount has not yet been set. Tennessee educators are putting the finishing touches on an application calling for between 400 and 500 million dollars.
