How Race to the Top States Are Doing

Although Race to the Top states have made strong progress since the start of the program in 2010, many have a lot of work to do to meet their commitments.

Part of a Series

Idea of the Day

Idea of the Day

Race to the Top is a first-of-its kind $4.35 billion competitive grant program designed to spur state-level education innovation to boost student achievement, close achievement gaps, and prepare students for college and careers. This program is significant not only because of the amount of funds made available for competitive grants to states but also because it pushes them to radically change the way they think about educational improvement. Race to the Top, or RTT, encourages states to rethink current standards and raise expectations for all students. It makes building longitudinal data systems a key component of the program, knowing that unless these systems are in place, there is no systematic way to target professional development for educators, ensure equitable distribution of teachers, or turn around low-performing schools.

Originally authorized in 2009 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, RTT encourages states to develop and implement key reform strategies around four core components:

Adopting rigorous college- and career-ready standards and assessments
Recruiting, evaluating, and retaining highly effective teachers and principals
Building data systems that measure student success and inform teaching and learning
Turning around low-performing schools

For more on this topic, please see:

Four Years Later, Are Race to the Top States on Track? by Tiffany D. Miller and Robert Hanna

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