Delaware and Tennessee Win First Race to The Top Grants:

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced today that Delaware and Tennessee have won grants in the first phase of the Race to the Top competition.

"We received many strong proposals from states all across America, but two applications stood out above all others: Delaware and Tennessee," Duncan said in announcing the winners. "Both states have statewide buy-in for comprehensive plans to reform their schools. They have written new laws to support their policies. And they have demonstrated the courage, capacity, and commitment to turn their ideas into practices that can improve outcomes for students."

Delaware will receive approximately $100 million and Tennessee $500 million to implement their comprehensive school reform plans over the next four years. As with any federal grant program, budgets will be finalized after discussions between the grantees and the Department, and the money will be distributed over time as the grantees meet established benchmarks.

UPDATE: Gov. Bredesen:

"This is a landmark opportunity for Tennessee. Our success in Race to the Top speaks to the commitment we’ve made to meaningful and significant improvement in public education, and the funds provided by the grant will carry us forward in a dramatic and positive direction."

UPDATE: TN House Delegation joint statement:

Tennessee’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives expressed support and congratulations following the Department of Education’s announcement that Tennessee has been selected as a winner of the Race to the Top funding program.

Tennessee will receive a grant of approximately $500 million in federal funding to implement reforms and turn around underperforming schools.

In a January 11th letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the delegation members wrote, “We are writing in strong support of the Tennessee Department of Education's application for the Race to the Top Assessment Program. In utilizing these federal funds, Tennessee seeks to capitalize on its assets - a rich pool of data, a plan for revamped standards and assessments, increasing collaboration with high-tech firms and facilities, and an expanded charter school system. Tennessee's RTTT proposal builds upon these assets and will accelerate reforms necessary to support educational achievement and excellence.”

Forty states and the District of Columbia submitted proposals for RTTT funding in January. The Department of Education rated each state based on its ability to adopt challenging standards that prepare students for college and their careers, adequately measure student achievement and inform faculty of the best way to improve teaching methods, recruit and retain the best teachers, and turn around the lowest performing schools.

The Department of Education awarded additional points to applications that highlighted effective management of student data, emphasis on science and math education, and strong partnerships with universities and private firms.

Tennessee and Delaware were the only two states to be awarded funding in the first round of the application process.

PREVIOUSLY: U.S. Dept. of Education:

U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced last week that an additional $255,794,562 is now available for Tennessee under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. To date, Tennessee has received $1,569,579,787 through the Recovery Act. The state recently reported that recovery dollars have been used to provide funding for more than 3,700 education jobs from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2009, while also supporting programs that drive education reform.