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Race to the Top

Race To The Top (RT3) logoThe Race to the Top (RT3) fund is a $4 billion grant opportunity provided to states and local school systems as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Its goal is to support new approaches for improving education. The funds are made available in the form of competitive grants to encourage and reward states that are creating conditions for education innovation and reform in four primary areas:

  1. Recruiting, preparing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most
  2. Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy
  3. Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction
  4. Turning around the lowest-achieving schools

The state of Georgia partnered with twenty-six individual school systems and submitted an application. Based upon the application, Georgia was awarded $400 million, of which half will be used for state level implementation and half disbursed directly to partner school districts. DeKalb County Schools will be awarded $34 million.

The partner districts are Atlanta City Schools, Ben Hill County Schools, Bibb County Schools, Burke County Schools, Carrollton City Schools, Chatham County Schools, Cherokee County Schools, Clayton County Schools, Dade County Schools, DeKalb County Schools, Dougherty County Schools, Gainesville City Schools, Gwinnett County Schools, Hall County Schools, Henry County Schools, Meriwether County Schools, Muscogee County Schools, Peach County Schools, Pulaski County Schools, Rabun County Schools, Richmond County Schools, Rockdale County Schools, Spalding County Schools, Treutlen, Valdosta City Schools, and White County Schools.

Race to the Top Presentation

pdf version [ http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/www/documents/news-and-info/race-to-the-top/presentation.pdf ]
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Key Components

  1. Great Teachers and Leaders
    Georgia will create a single Teacher Effectiveness Measure (TEM), Leader Effectiveness Measure (LEM), and District Effectiveness Measure (DEM) and align it with Georgia's evaluation system.
  2. Standards and Assessments
    The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) initiative is a state-led process to develop common standards in English language arts and mathematics for grades K–12.
  3. Data Systems to Support Instruction
    Georgia's vision for its data system is one that provides seamless data access to all stakeholders.
  4. Turning Around our Lowest Achieving Schools (LAS)
    Georgia will employ one of the four intervention models below, as prescribed through Race to the Top, in turning around the state's lowest achieving schools. The appropriate model for each school will be selected by the state in collaboration with the local school district.
    • turnaround (replace principal and remove fifty percent of staff)
    • charter/EMO conversion
    • school closure
    • transformation (combination of aforementioned strategies)
  5. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
    The RT3 plan will focus on improving STEM education for Georgia students and require that all elementary and middle schools make science their adequate yearly progress (AYP) second indicator in 2012.
  6. Innovation Fund
    Georgia will establish an innovation fund available to school districts to seed innovative partnerships.
  7. Improving Early Learning Outcomes
    Georgia will provide targeted technical assistance to specific preK classrooms.