• St. Louis is a finalist for school district Race to the Top competition

    St. Louis post-dispatch

     

    The U.S. Department of Education announced this afternoon that St. Louis is among 61 finalists for the district Race to the Top competition.

    The 61 finalists were selected from 372 applications, including 66 in Missouri.

    Federal officials plan to award 15 to 25 districts or groups nationwide with four-year grants ranging from $5 million to $40 million. Officials say they will support school districts with local reforms that will personalize learning, close achievement gaps and take full advantage of technology.

    If awarded, St. Louis plans to expand the third and fourth grade iPad initiative to grades 1-5 in all district elementary schools during the four-year project period. 

    Launched in 2009, Race to the Top is the largest grant competition ever undertaken by the federal Education Department. Nearly all states applying agree to adopt federally recommended proposals just to compete. In Missouri, officials promised to move ahead with plans to improve tracking of student data, enhance teacher and administrator evaluations, and conform curriculum to national standards.