EdVANTAGE Blog

To the surprise of many, New York was named as one of 16 finalists in the competition for a share of the federal government’s $4.35 billion Race to the Top education reform initiative.

After the State Legislature and Governor Paterson did not enact legislation amending the state’s charter school and tenure laws, pessimism reigned that New York was out of the running.

A news release from the U.S. Department of education (USDE) explains the next steps in the process.  On March 16, Senior SED leaders will make a presentation to federal officials, led by Secretary Duncan.

The U.S. Department intends to announce first round grant recipients in April.  A second round of competition for awards will be conducted, with applications due on June 1.  The U.S. Department expects that no more than half the RTTT funding will be allocated in round one.

Education Commissioner David Steiner issued a statement:

“I am pleased that New York State has been selected as a finalist in the first round of the federal Race to the Top competition.

The Regents and I commend our many partners in school districts across the state for their support in developing New York’s application.  Together, we developed a strong and competitive proposal — one that will advance the bold reforms needed to turn around failing schools, close the achievement gap and enable all of our children to succeed.

These reforms aim to ensure that all of New York’s public schools have truly effective teachers and principals, high quality curricula, well-designed assessments and are focused on the academic success of every child. We continue to recognize the importance of Legislative action to the Regents’ broader agenda for education reform.

We look forward to presenting our case in Washington for a comprehensive, integrated and innovative education reform agenda for New York State.”

Some charter school supporters have warned the state not to assume that its application will win funding (”Risky Success“).  New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the state’s application is “on life support.”

Others have criticized the federal decision to include New York as a finalist, after the Legislature did not pass legislation to raise the state’s cap on charter schools.

The New York Post sarcastically congratulated Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch for throwing “magic pixie dust” into the eyes of U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan to get him to include New York.  (We’re wondering where we could get some of this pixie dust).

Whatever one thinks of charter schools, the attention being given to them as an element in reform plans seems way out of proportion to the numbers of children they are ever likely to serve.

The state cannot amend the proposal it submitted to meet the January 19 application deadline – subsequent state policy changes or local MOU submissions are not supposed to influence the USDE’s decision.

Most of the other states are in the south and midwest; Colorado is the only western state.  Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode island are other northeastern states still in the running.