President Barack Obama announced plans Tuesday to expand his administration's "Race to the Top" program with an extra $1.35 billion in next year's federal budget to boost incentives for public school reform.Obama and Arne Duncan meet 6th graders:
The program - currently backed by $4.35 billion in Recovery Act funds - provides grants to states that create rigorous academic standards, attract talented teachers, use data to improve instruction and revamp low-performing schools.
Obama's plan would raise the program's overall funding through the fiscal 2011 budget with a focus on supporting school districts' self-improvement efforts.
The president visited Graham Road Elementary, a low-income Fairfax County school with top marks, to announce the expansion as one part of a larger education agenda. Reform will continue "until we felt like we're made significant process across the country," said a senior administration official. Read more at Politico
At around 10:30 am eastern Obama will speak on Race to the Top, which is a nationwide competition among states (except for Texas) for education grants.
