U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced Tuesday that 10 applicants had won grants in the second phase of the federal Race to the Top competition, a $4.35 billion program designed to reward states that are making strides in education reform. Kentucky was one of 19 finalists in the second round but failed again to receive any funding.
“While we are disappointed that Kentucky did not win an award in the second round of Race to the Top funding, we are confident that the steps we are taking in education will significantly improve the education experience for Kentucky’s students,” Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.
Nine states and the District of Columbia have now been awarded money in the program that is estimated to directly impact 13.6 million students and 980,000 teachers in 25,000 schools. The nine states that won were Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Rhode Island. Tennessee and Delaware were awarded funds in the first round of the competition.
