News

S.C. is one of 40 states in race for federal aid

January 25, 2010

South Carolina is in the running for a share of a $4.35 billion pot of federal money intended to spark one of the nation's farthest reaching and expensive pushes to reform public education ever.

In all, 40 states and the District of Columbia are competing in the Obama administration's Race to the Top program, which offers grants to entice states to raise standards, get highly effective teachers in classrooms and tackle troubled and failing schools.

The Race, which U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan initiated last summer as part of the $787 billion economic stimulus plan, requires states also to show that they plan to use data more effectively to track student achievement and pave the way for more high-caliber charter schools to open.

“States … that limit alternative routes to certification for teachers and principals, or cap the number of charter schools, will be at a competitive disadvantage,” Duncan said in a speech last year. “And states that explicitly prohibit linking data on achievement or student growth to principal and teacher evaluations will be ineligible for reform dollars until they change their laws.”

South Carolina education officials said reform plans already in the works should give the state a good shot at winning the $300 million it applied for.

“When we saw the guidelines come out, it looked just like us,” S.C. Superintendent of Education Jim Rex said.

Rex declined to give specifics about the state's application, saying he didn't want to tip his hand to competitors.

Several states and school districts across the country have turned away from the competition.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry passed up more than $700 million, saying Washington is trying to force an education agenda on states.

“The U.S. Department of Education seems to be coercing states like Texas to suddenly abandon their own locally established curriculum standards in favor of adopting national standards spearheaded by organizations in Washington, D.C.,” Perry's office said in a news release.

Race applications were due last Tuesday; the U.S. Department of Education plans to announce winners in April. A second round of applications from states will be due in June, with winners expected in September.

States that apply but do not win the first round may reapply.

Race to the Top comes as many states are reeling from tax revenue shortfalls amid the recession.

The money would bolster reform efforts in South Carolina at a time when educators are worried that continuing cuts in state money could undo much of the progress schools have made.

“As tough as it is right now, any opportunity we have we would want to look at,” said David Damm, Clover schools' assistant superintendent for instruction.

South Carolina has received national attention for some of its efforts.

Education Week's most recent annual Quality Counts report, which ranks and grades states based on a variety a factors, gave South Carolina an A for its programs and policies supporting the teaching profession. The state got another A for school accountability, standards and assessments.

However, it got a D for “K-12 achievement.”

Overall, the Palmetto State received a B- and a national rank of 11.

Another milestone came in October, when Winthrop University's education school landed a $7 million federal grant to transform the way it trains future teachers while working with struggling schools to boost teacher quality and student achievement.

In a letter of support for the state's Race to the Top application, Jennie Rakestraw, dean of Winthrop's Richard W. Riley College of Education wrote: “By connecting our assistance in the Reach to the Top initiative with our … grant, we will be able to develop an innovative program that will serve as a pilot in the state.”

School districts were asked to sign a memorandum of understanding in support of the state's application in order to qualify for any money won. The memo envisions that “South Carolina will rapidly evolve into the most student-focused, choice-driven, innovative public education system in the country.”

With details fuzzy about how the infusion of federal cash would transform schools, some districts are leery of a program with so many strings attached, state Teacher of the Year Bryan Coburn said.

“You can't argue with the intent,” said Coburn, a Rock Hill teacher who has been traveling the state, meeting with educators. “I think everybody's for improving teacher preparation and student achievement. But it's kind of a Catch 22 for districts. They're asking them to sign without knowing all of the details.”

All but two of the state's 85 school districts signed the agreement, as well as the statewide charter school district and school systems operated by the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Department of Corrections, according to the state Education Department.

A school district in Lee County and another in Florence County have not signed.

Clover schools signed the agreement, Damm said, but added “we are reserving the right at this point to see what emerges.”

Here are the states that applied:

 

Alabama

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

Nebraska

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Utah

Virginia

Washington D.C.

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming