N.C. schools apply for federal stimulus money

North Carolina school systems are racing toward education reform in hopes of proving themselves worthy of a federal stimulus grant.

Last year, the federal government set aside $4 billion in a program called Race to the Top to improve education across the country. Instead of distributing the money to states equally, President Barack Obama is encouraging states to compete for it by submitting their proposals.

“We’ll open up opportunity — evenly and equitably — across our education system,” Obama said Tuesday while explaining the grant at a school in Virginia.

 “We’ll develop a culture of innovation and excellence in our public schools. And we’ll reward success and replicate it across the country.”

The grant will be awarded to states that apply for it and fulfill several criteria set by the government for improving students’ education.

School systems are encouraged to incorporate technology into the classroom and use better techniques to assess student progress, Obama said.

Gov. Bev Perdue has requested nearly $470 million in education stimulus money to be spent in four years, said Chrissy Pearson, Perdue’s press secretary.

“As a national leader in educational innovation, I’m confident that North Carolina is in a good position to receive Race to the Top funding,” Perdue said in a press release.

The state has submitted its proposal and is looking into making the necessary improvements to stay competitive.

June Atkinson, the state superintendent of public instruction, said North Carolina’s proposal for the grant includes increasing graduation rates and improving low-performance schools.

Atkinson said they hope to use the grant to provide teachers with technology to assess student learning in place of quizzes and standardized tests.

“We’re trying to figure out what students’ weaknesses are before they get to the end of the course,” she said. “We want the assessment to go beyond the multiple-choice test.”

Another component to the state’s proposal is an educator evaluation system.

In the past, teachers have needed assistance with teaching students with special needs and those who speak another language, Atkinson said.

Rather than attending training sessions, teachers will be able to access online programs at home to learn techniques for working with these types of students, Atkinson said.

Forty states, including North Carolina, and the District of Columbia have applied for the grant. California, Florida, New York and Texas have requested the most money from the grant.

But Atkinson said the state stands a good chance of receiving the grant because of its past efforts in improving education.

“This is a huge step in the right direction and a big incentive for the Feds to know that North Carolina is serious about educating our children in an innovative way,” Pearson said.

The first round of grant recipients will be announced in April.



Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.