Breaking News: RI Wins Race to the Top

Rhode Island has won as much as $75 million in the Race to the Top—beating out 41 other states in its bid for federal funds to help improve school across the Ocean State.

“Rhode Island is ready for change,” said Education Commissioner Deborah Gist. “That is so evident and it is reflected in our success with this step here today. Students want to be challenged. Teachers want to be part of the solution and Rhode Islanders are ready to have the best public schools in America.”

It remains unclear exactly how much Rhode Island will get. Gov. Don Carcieri said U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan had told him that the state will either get the full $75 million it sought, or “close” to that amount.

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Gist said she was not sure when the exact amount of the grant would be determined. Whatever the exact amount is, she said it would be paid out over a four-year period.

The money will be used for a variety of purposes—professional development, new systems for tracking student progress, and helping districts revamp their curriculum. (Click here to read the state’s application for the Race to the Top.)

One thing that it will not be used for, however, is plugging budget holes, Gist said.

“These funds are not going to help us with the incredible demands that we have right now fiscally we have right now on our state. The economic crisis that we’re in, the budget challenges that we are facing—these funds are not going to help us resolve that,” Gist said. “But what these funds will help us to do is to turn our education system around so that the funds that we already invest in education, we can invest those in more efficient, more effective ways.”

Several other state leaders celebrated the good news at a press conference at the Statehouse this afternoon, including Congressman Jim Langevin, House Speaker Gordon Fox, and Senate President Teresa Pavia Weed.

“Today there is joy—great, great joy in ‘Mudville,’” said Board of Regents chairman Robert Flanders. “Little Rhody has hit a huge home run and aren’t we all glad to be there to see it happen.”

One student from Providence said they thought the money would make a difference in local schools. "I think it's going to improve the overall aspect of education," said Elisa Calderon, a rising senior at the Providence Career and Technical Academy. "It's going to make it better for us."

Below is a list of exactly how the funds will be used, according to a state breakdown:

• training for educators regarding new world-class standards
• training in the use of data to improve instruction
• support for a new system that will track education data over multiple years
• information for teachers and families on student growth and achievement at the classroom, school, and district levels
• data and other support for an educator-evaluation system that we will design in partnership with educators
• support toward developing new models of teacher compensation
• stronger induction programs for new teachers and school leaders
• training in the management of human resources
• development of a deeper applicant pool for subjects that are hard to staff
• increased supports for principals and teacher leaders
• partnerships with professional organizations that have proven records of success