Team PA enters "race" for federal funding for schools
12/1/2009
As part of its strategic mission to support education and workforce development, Team Pennsylvania Foundation is playing an active role in the Race to the Top grant application process, which will provide critical federal funding for public schools across the commonwealth.“Race to the Top is a phrase that should be on every educator’s lips,” Rich Hudic, Team PA President & CEO, said. “These funds could be a saving grace for many schools suffering from budget cuts and teacher shortages.”
Team PA sponsored a meeting recently to discuss Race and how it can be incorporated with the Foundation’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Initiative.
“Although Race is not based around STEM, states like Pennsylvania who have a specific STEM strategy have a competitive priority and advantage over states that do not have this program,” Hudic said. ”This is another example of STEM paying dividends to students in Pennsylvania schools who will one day enter the workforce.”
Funding is provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is based on four critical criteria: standards, data systems, teacher effectiveness and assistance for struggling schools.
Improving academic standards and tests have been a leading priority for the Pennsylvania Department of Education, as evidenced by the recent passing of the graduation assessment standards regulation.
Hudic said the purpose of setting up data systems is to track a student’s educational process from one year to the next.
“Pennsylvania was honored earlier this year by the Data Quality Campaign, which is the education department’s current yardstick for data systems, for our progress in implementing comprehensive efforts to monitor and improve instruction,” Hudic said. “Race to the Top would help expand those efforts even further.”
Additional PDE goals include boosting teacher effectiveness and getting more quality teachers into low-performing schools.
“Working through the existing STEM Regional Network, for instance, we are looking to get 500 new STEM teachers into low-income and high-minority school districts across the state,” Hudic said.
The final priority centers on providing help to struggling schools.
“The proposed Race efforts will build off a commitment to improve quality and opportunity in those school districts who serve historically disadvantaged students,” said Hudic. “Working from the department’s existing turnaround efforts, these plans will target increasing student achievement on the PSSAs while boosting high school graduation rates in at-risk school districts.”
Funding is expected to be awarded between May and December 2010.
