The State of Tennessee has submitted its proposal in the U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top competition, seeking a total of $501.8 million in federal resources to spur education innovation across the Volunteer State. Tennessee’s complete Race to the Top proposal, totaling 1,111 pages with supporting documents, can be found on the state Department of Education Web site at www.tn.gov/education.

Under federal guidelines, half of any Race to the Top funds received by Tennessee would be distributed directly to local school districts under the federal government’s existing Title I formula. The other half would be used to seed a “State Innovation Fund” underwriting a series of new investments over a four-year period.

For Polk County, around $440,000 or more would be made available if the state is successful in its proposal. The county would hve to submit a plan on how to spend the money to fit the major categories identified in the state’s proposal. Rachel Woods, spokesperson for the state Department of Education, said almost anything regarding academic enrichment, school improvement and professional development would probably apply. The state must approve the county’s proposal. She said the money would be allocated over four years.

Major categories in the proposal include:

    Turnaround schools: Approximately $108.8 million to help turn around struggling schools — including roughly a dozen consistently failing schools that may join the new state-run “Achievement School District” as well as roughly 180 increasingly troubled schools that may be designated as “Renewal” or “Focus” schools.

 Great teachers and leaders: Approximately $62.2 million for a range of professional-development and “human capital” initiatives — including the creation of a new educator leadership program; expansion of Tennessee’s existing SITES-M program to improve math instruction in elementary schools; and training for teachers on higher academic standards.                                           

    Technology and data: $54.5 million to improve public school teachers’ use of and access to Tennessee’s longitudinal data system used for tracking “student growth,” or a child’s improvement in the classroom over time.

    STEM programs: $22.5 million to invest in programs and schools focusing on science, technology, engineering, and math — the STEM disciplines.

    Oversight and implementation: $2.9 million to help the Department of Education implement Tennessee’s plan and to establish a “First to the Top Oversight Team” charged with ensuring that funds are deployed according to plan and properly utilized.

 “Tennessee’s proposed investments under Race to the Top are aligned not only with the needs of our state but also with the core reform priorities outlined by President and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan,” said Timothy Webb, commissioner of the state Department of Education. “We’re hopeful that Tennessee’s will come out on top.” The state will learn in April whether it was successful. If not, there will be another round of funding.

Created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Race to the Top provides $4.35 billion in competitive grants designed to encourage and reward states that are implementing ambitious plans in four core education reform areas: Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy; Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction; Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and Turning around the lowest-achieving schools.