The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports on Ohio’s status as a finalist for millions of dollars in federal money due to Ohio’s education reform plans:
An Ohio team will go to Washington, D.C., this month to present the state’s case in person and answer questions from reviewers, who judged applicants on a 500-point scale.
“This is an exciting day for education in Ohio,” said a statement issued by Gov. Ted Strickland and State Superintendent Deborah Delisle. “The Race to the Top process has been and will continue to be extremely competitive, but Ohio crafted a strong application of which we can all be proud.”
Ohio, which has requested just over $400 million in the grants program, is hoping the financial boost would enable the state to achieve the following goals:
- Turn around the lowest-performing schools
- Ensure the presence of high-quality faculty and administrators
- Build data systems to measure student progress
- Adopt standards and assessments to prepare students for college
