COLO. SUBMITS RACE TO TOP PHASE 2 APPLICATION

Gov. Bill Ritter and state education officials announced today that Colorado has submitted its second-round application for federal Race to the Top education-reform funding.

Gov. Ritter, Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien, State Board of Education Chairman Bob Schaffer and Education Commissioner Dwight D. Jones said today’s submittal concludes a rigorous application process.

“We’ve been committed to reforming Colorado’s education system in a way that gives students and educators every opportunity to succeed,” Gov. Ritter said. “Our Phase 2 Race to the Top application focuses on reducing the dropout rate, closing the achievement gap and turning around low-performing schools so that every child gets the high-quality education they deserve.”

“All of our reforms the past three years are focused on improving student achievement and ensuring that we have the most effective educators in our classrooms,” Lt. Gov. O’Brien said. “Our Phase 2 application will further those reforms and expedite our goals of fully preparing every student for the workforce or post-secondary education.”

“Recent bipartisan approval of a law to improve educator effectiveness and the announcement that Colorado will receive a major federal grant to improve its education data systems gives us reason to believe a number of key pieces are falling into place,” Chairman Schaffer said. “Winning Race to the Top will further boost our work, and we are optimistic about our chances this time around.”

“We went back to the drawing board for our second application, but we didn’t wipe the slate clean,” Commissioner Jones said. “We sharpened and focused our plans and worked to be more clear about our intentions for how the resources will be used. But our core plan remains intact—to improve the performance of all schools, for all students.”

Colorado’s Race to the Top Phase 2 application was delivered today and is one of approximately 38 state applications. The Race to the Top Phase 2 finalists will be announced at the end of July and finalists will be invited to make presentations to a team of reviewers in early August. The Phase 2 winners will be announced in early September. Colorado is eligible for up to $175 million in funding in the Race to the Top Phase 2.

To learn more about the Race to the Top and to view the Phase 2 application, click here.