Massachusetts Wins “Race to the Top” Education Funds
Commonwealth Awarded $250 Million; Places First among States Awarded
BOSTON – State Representative Fresolo is pleased to announce that Massachusetts has been awarded $250 million in federal “Race to the Top” funds to support schools and the education of children across the state. The Commonwealth’s “Race to the Top” application received the highest score among the states winning the federal funds.
The award follows legislation passed by the House earlier this year that focused on eliminating the achievement gap in schools across the Commonwealth and positioned Massachusetts to capitalize on these federal funds. The bill gave the state stronger authority to intervene in underperforming districts, lifted the cap on charter schools in the lowest-performing school districts and helped to facilitate innovation and excellence in schools throughout Massachusetts.
“As we seek to ensure that every child in Massachusetts receives a world class education, this $250 million in ‘Race to the Top’ funds will be instrumental in providing each and every student across the Commonwealth with the education they deserve,” House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said. “Back in January, the legislature passed legislation that addressed our unacceptable achievement gap and promoted accountability and innovation in our schools. Thanks to our passage of this vital reform legislation, we have positioned our state to not only receive these much-needed federal dollars but also rank first among the states that were awarded with funding.”
“Following approval of the education reform law earlier this year, over 30 underperforming schools are beginning the turnaround process, two Innovation Schools have been established, and more charter school operators with a track record of success are applying to open schools in the lowest-performing school districts," said Representative Marty Walz, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Education. "This vote of confidence and the funding that comes with it will strengthen our efforts to ensure that all children in the state receive the high quality education they deserve.”
Massachusetts will use the funding to recruit, develop, reward and retain effective, academically accomplished, diverse teachers by developing a new statewide framework for teacher and principal evaluation.
To help improve instruction across the state, the Commonwealth will use the funding to provide curricular and instructional resources to equip every educator with the tools necessary to promote and support student achievement.
In an effort to turn around the state’s lowest-performing schools, the funding will expand supports and instruction for teachers, students and families in the lowest-performing schools and districts. The funding will also help develop a specialized corps of educators prepared to tackle the challenges of the lowest-performing schools to create the conditions needed for improved student achievement.
In order to ensure that all students have access to a quality education, the state will use this funding to implement strategies designed to increase the number of students who graduate high school prepared for college and a career. These strategies include exposing more students to rigorous curricula and college-level work, and aligning high school curricula with college entrance requirements.
A total of 276 districts across the Commonwealth signed on to Massachusetts’ “Race to the Top” proposal and will now receive funding through the “Race to the Top” award. These districts represent 1,375 schools, which enroll 74 percent of Massachusetts K-12 students and 88 percent of all low-income students in the Commonwealth.
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