The states named as finalists today and move onto the next level are: Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

The number of finalists is much higher than foreseen by outside experts.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, the states announced today could win as much as $900 million each, depending on their size, at a time when many local education budgets face deep funding shortfalls. The number of actual winners, set to be announced in April, is expected to be far smaller – possibly as few as five.

Applications of a second round of Race to the Top funding is set for June. President Barack Obama also is pushing for a third round, according to wire reports.

In January, New Mexico and 39 other states and Washington, D.C. applied to Race to the Top, the largest pool of federal discretionary education money in U.S. history. The grants reward school systems for finding ways to strengthen academic standards, recruit better teachers, collect data on student performance and turn around failing schools that can be replicated across the country.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan and his team have worked to keep the selection process as free of politics as possible. Congress, the states, and even the White House were not told who made the cut until Thursday morning.

The U.S. Department of Education turned to a panel of 58 outside judges to pick the finalists and winners according to 19 criteria, including the state’s track record, openness to charter schools, and systems to judge teacher performance. Independent evaluators have given especially high markets to Florida, Tennessee and Louisiana for their accountability standards and for implementing systems to track student performance.

Experts screened the bids on a 500-point system that reflects President Obama’s agenda.

For example, the scoring rubric awards up to 10 points for making education funding a priority and up to 30 for demonstrating significant progress in raising achievement and closing gaps. Three areas of reform are worth up to 40 points each: developing and adopting common academic standards; turning around the lowest-achieving schools; and ensuring successful conditions for high-performing charter or other autonomous public schools. Proposals to improve teacher and principal effectiveness based on performance are worth as many as 58 points, signaling Obama’s willingness to challenge unions to accept merit pay.

Secretary Duncan has the final call on who wins, but aides say he will lay out in detail his justification if he departs from the expert rankings. Experts and former U.S. education officials say Duncan is the first education secretary to have control over so much money to drive school reform.

Congress authorized the funding through the 2001 economic stimulus law but set few conditions on how to spend it.

Each state will receive notification via email around 11:30 a.m. EST of the selected finalists. This email will be sent to the State Chief, the Governor and the RTTT contact listed on the state application. A press release will go out to national press at 12:00 p.m. EST.

Forty states and Washington, D.C. applied to the Race to the Top fund, the largest pool of federal discretionary education money in U.S. history. The grants, to be announced today, reward school systems for finding ways to strengthen academic standards, recruit better teachers, collect data on student performance and turn around failing schools that can be replicated across the country.

According to wire reports, most states won’t get any money today because their proposals aren’t tough enough, Grover J. Whitehurst, who served in the Education Department under former President George W. Bush, said in an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday. Florida, Louisiana and Tennessee may prevail because of their use of technology to track student achievement over time, he added.

“Underlying the Obama administration’s specific proposals is an agenda for dramatic change of the public schools,” said Whitehurst, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, which analyzes U.S. public policy. “The reviewers will have been asking: ‘Is the state willing and able to change the status quo?’”

There will be “a lot more losers than winners,” Duncan said in testimony yesterday before the House Education and Labor Committee.

We will monitor this announcement throughout the day and post the “winning” states when they become available.

At the beginning of the school year, the president encouraged students all across the country to take responsibility for their education, study hard, and graduate from high school. The Race to the Top High School Commencement challenge encourages schools to show how they are making great strides on personal responsibility, academic excellence and college readiness.

Applications must be completed by students and submitted by a high school principal using the Commencement Challenge Application Form no later than Monday, March 15th at 11:59 p.m.

Each school may submit only one application and high schools must be public to apply.

Following the application deadline, six finalists will be selected by the White House and U.S. Department of Education. These schools will then be featured on the White House website and the public will have an opportunity to vote for the three schools they think best meet the president’s goal. The president will select a national winner from these three finalists and visit the winning high school to deliver the commencement address to the class of 2010.

The application’s four essay questions focus on demonstrating how the school is helping prepare students to meet the president’s 2020 goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. Applications will be judged based on the school’s performance and dedication to providing students an excellent education that will prepare them to graduate ready for college and career choices. Each question must be answered in full to qualify and data that substantiates each answer is strongly encouraged.

In addition to the required essay responses, applicants are invited to submit the following optional supplemental materials:

• Video – no more than 2 minutes in length – showing the school’s culture and character and highlighting how it is a model of educational success for other high schools around the country.
• Supplemental data on key indicators such as attendance, student achievement, graduation rates and where available, college enrollment rates. This data may be presented in the form of tables, graphs or spreadsheets and should be used to help the school make the most compelling arguments possible.

Please use the Commencement Challenge Application Form to apply.

The Details
The U.S. Department of Education trained 53 reviewers in D.C. at an all-day training session on Jan. 23. There are 20 different components of the award system, which totals 500 points. In many cases, there is little discretion involved in deciding how many points to award for a particular component. For example, reviewers award two points for each of 12 required elements in a statewide data system for a total of 24 points. However, some components require a more critical eye. For example, the 35 points associated with turning around schools requires an expert reviewer to assess strategies and plans and determine their potential impact on these schools.  Reviewers decide how many of the 35 points that a particular applicant’s turnaround plans merit. Upon leaving the training, each reviewer left with five applications in hand (of course, they weren’t allowed to review their own state). Top contenders will be invited back to D.C. in mid-March for presentations for final selections to be announced in April.

All proposals are posted here on the U.S. Department of Education website.  I believe that all states are “winners” for spending the December holiday season behind closed doors working fervently and feverishly to address the critical situations we face in education across our country.  It took hundreds of hours of work and partnerships for states to get the proposals submitted, bringing together industry, education and government to help look at the necessary steps for their states’ futures in education, and in turn, economic development.

In New Mexico, we believe we have a plan that can address the critical situation we face in educational attainment: dropouts and success of the teacher/student.  It was like piecing together a giant jigsaw puzzle as teams of teachers and leaders from across the state worked together to address the application and its requirements.

We now hold our breath along with the other 39 contenders. For the future of our state, our students, our economic development and all teachers across the state, winning Race to the Top could be a game-changer.

Years from now it will be fascinating to see what the Race to the Top and the controversial stimulus dollars have done for the states.  But for now, I know that this application made states think long and hard on what must happen to address drop-outs, failing schools, STEM education and partnerships for the long-haul. The Race to the Top process – win or lose – created a blueprint for states to move forward with a vision for education reform.

New Mexico is home to two national labs, several research universities and an estimated 10,000 professional scientists. Yet New Mexico students, including Santa Fe’s, lag well behind the national average on science proficiency tests — in spite of some gains in the last five years.

In 2008, fewer than 40 percent of the state’s students in sixth through ninth grade tested proficient in science on the New Mexico Standards Based Assessments.

New Mexico students are smart enough and capable enough to excel in science. And some do, earning scholarships to top-notch research universities. So why don’t more of them?

Low science scores stem from some of the same factors as low math and reading scores — a high population of low-income students, English language learners and youngsters with special learning needs. An additional challenge in science is that not all teachers are qualified or comfortable teaching it.

Experts say a few proven steps could boost science prowess among New Mexico students: Coax professional scientists into mentoring teachers and students. Make science hands-on, fun and relevant. Encourage the natural curiosity of youth. Tie science to literacy. Beef up student access to labs, high-tech equipment and materials for experiments.

Finally, use some innovative teaching methods and set high expectations.

This is a great article with some concrete information. Continue reading the full story here.

World Maths Day, (math is known as maths outside of the U.S.) is coming up Wednesday, March 3. Students from across the globe will add, subtract, and multiply to gold-medal glory.

The 48-hour event is open to anyone ages 5 to 18. Students play opponents from around the globe in real time. Each math game lasts 60 seconds and they can play as many games as they wish. Competition is fierce but fair – math problems match the player’s age and skill level.

Registration is open (and free), but students should register as early as possible to practice. Individuals, homeschoolers, and entire classes can compete. High-achievers earn prizes: coveted spots in the Hall of Fame, minted gold medals, or certificates. Every child receives a digital certificate just for playing.

World Maths Day answers the age-old question: How do we get kids excited about Math?

Setting a world record with math games for kids certainly helps!

This year features an exciting new format with multi-levels for all age groups. And, for the first time, teachers, parents, and the media are invited to participate. Can we beat last year’s world record of almost 2 million students from 204 countries correctly answering 452,681,681 questions?

Speaking to governors gathered at the White House on Monday, Obama said he won’t “accept second place for the United States of America.” He noted that the United States continues to lag behind other nations in critical areas, including high school math and science skills.

Obama applauded governors for developing “common academic standards” but said more can be done. For one thing, he said, states will be asked to adopt new standards to better prepare the young for college-level math and science – and will make that a condition for receiving certain federal assistance. Obama said the effort also will require better teaching and better curricula.

Obama told governors he wants a change in law that would allow states to receive federal aid for poor students only if they adopt academic standards that are deemed to truly prepare children for college or careers out of high school. The move would require a change in the nation’s main elementary and secondary education law, which became known as the No Child Left Behind Act during the presidency of George W. Bush.

Traditionally, the federal government is a marginal player in the financing and control of education, but its role has expanded as educators and lawmakers at all levels worry about slipping U.S. competitiveness.

In a statement issued Sunday, the White House said the initiative will develop and implement new reading and math standards that prepare high school students for college and careers. “Because too many students are not learning the basic skills needed to succeed in college or work while they are in high school,” the White House said in the statement, “the nation sacrifices more than $3.7 billion a year in lost productivity and remedial education costs.”

The White House said the governors have been working on the president’s Race to the Top program, which rewards school systems that raise standards and demonstrate that through tougher student assessments.

In addition to supporting ongoing state efforts, the White House said the president will commit an additional $350 million to the Race to the Top challenge to back “state-led partnerships to develop new, state-of-the art assessments aligned to college and career-ready standards.”

According to the White House, the president’s 2011 budget will call for the reauthorization of the 1994 version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which would require states to meet six tough standards to help high school graduates prepare for college or jobs. The White House said schools need to focus on better teacher preparation, improved teaching, and tougher student assessments.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was first passed in 1965 and has been routinely reauthorized every five years.

Obama’s proposed reauthorization would:

• Require the states to “adopt and certify that they have college- and career-ready standards in reading and mathematics” to be eligible for the federal money.
• Establish a $405 million outlay to help states “align teacher preparation practices and programs to teaching of college- and career-ready standards.”
• Provide grants totaling $400 million to states that adopt tougher student assessment programs.
• Dedicate $1.35 billion to the Race to the Top program in addition to stimulus money for the program.
• Allot $2.5 billion in the 2011 budget to a state grant program to support better teaching and leadership in the schools.

Dr. Kemi Jona is a Research Associate Professor of Learning Sciences and Computer Science at Northwestern University and Director of the Office of STEM Education Partnerships where he leads research and development projects in curriculum design, learning technology, online science and virtual labs, and Web-based patient education and outreach. Over the course of his career, Dr. Jona designed and oversaw the development of custom learning solutions for numerous corporate clients including GE Capital, Wal-Mart, Eaton/Cutler-Hammer, Deloitte, and Accenture. He also led a multi-year partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that produced an award-winning interactive learning system currently in use throughout the U.S.

He is also President of Kemi Jona Associates, an independent consulting practice that helps learning organizations improve the quality, competitiveness, and accessibility of their offerings, take best advantage of existing and new technologies, and reduce development expenses. It was an honor for him to take a few moments out of his busy schedule to talk with us.

Dr. Jona, what is the biggest challenge(s) you see when it comes to STEM today?
There are two interrelated problems: STEM workforce and STEM education. The need for a workforce that is skilled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics areas is closely linked to the idea of American competitiveness in the global economy – and that has really gotten a lot more traction and visibility recently. High-tech companies have tens of thousands of jobs they can’t find qualified applicants to take. These are really good, high-paying jobs. Microsoft alone has something like 17,000 unfilled positions. And, the problem is only going to get worse with the upcoming wave of retiring baby-boomers. Add to that the sense that we have serious problems to solve in the areas of alternative energy and global warming, and I think the public is waking up to the importance of a having a well-prepared STEM workforce in order to keep America’s leadership position in innovation and in the global economy. This is what has really driven increased awareness in addressing the STEM education issue. You don’t magically get a STEM workforce. You have to educate today’s students in these important skills now if you want to prepare the workforce to fill these kinds of jobs.

How can we improve the retention and graduation rates of STEM students?
Retaining students in STEM fields is a tough problem and can’t be solved with a single solution. A good start, in my opinion, would be to start developing project-based curriculums that are based on the kinds of real-world activities STEM professionals do. This will help students see the relevance of what they are learning and get exposed to a variety of interesting career roles at the same time. Plus, students learn best by doing, so active project-based learning is far more motivating and effective than boring lectures. I’m also a big advocate of job shadowing, internships and summer job opportunities. We need to be doing a better job partnering with industry to make these kinds of programs more widely available to today’s students.

How can we get more students and parents, etc., excited about STEM?
A lot of the same things that I mentioned for retaining students in STEM also are effective for getting folks excited about STEM. For parents, I think a media campaign that encourages them to get their children into STEM learning, both in and out of school, and highlights the great STEM career opportunities available to them is a great place to start. We need an “American Idol” for STEM superstars, not just singers.

What changes in skills are expected for professionals in the near future, and how are these skills communicated to our students working in today’s educational system?
Most of these skills are already pretty clear and in use today: teamwork, collaboration, strong verbal and written communication skills, information organization and critical analysis. The problem is that almost none of these skills are part of the education system today. Students spend most of their time working individually, not in teams. Looking at someone’s document in school is called cheating. In the workplace it is called collaboration. Much of the educational system is shaped by how well students can memorize facts and spit them back out on tests. Barely any jobs require those particular skills. Yet that is what we are training the current generation of students to be good at. One new set of skills that cuts across many jobs, especially in the sciences, is the use of what is called cyberinfrastructure, which uses computational tools like networks, databases, computer models, simulations, data analysis, and visualization. Nearly every field is being reshaped this way and those students who know how to use it are going to have a big advantage. But again, none of this is currently being taught in schools.

When referring to growing international cooperation in research and education, what are the effects STEM education will have for U.S. students now and tomorrow?
Most major new scientific research and large-scale corporate efforts involve multinational networks of partners enabled by cyberinfrastructure. This is how Boeing designs and builds airplanes and Lenovo designs and builds laptops. If you want to be successful in research or business in the future, you are going to need to understand how to work within this kind of networked, multinational organization. In fact, you will probably be part of several of these real or virtual organizations at one time. If we don’t do a better job preparing our students in STEM and in the skills needed to work in this type of environment, they will be at a significant disadvantage in the future workforce.

What are real or practical uses of new technologies (including cyberinfrastructure developments) in both education and research?
Cyberinfrastructure allows you to do work in ways that simply couldn’t be done before. Scientists now use huge sensor networks to collect data from all over the globe and feed it into giant databases that are shared by researchers in many countries. These “large-scale observatories” were never feasible before. For example, I am working on a project called GLOBE Watershed Dynamics to help connect kids and teachers to these kinds of scientific databases so that a high school student can analyze the same data the scientists have. This can really change the way that science education happens in classrooms by making it look a lot more like what real scientists do, and also teach students about how to work with cyberinfrastructure. Once the investment is made in creating this kind of cyberinfrastructure for scientists, why not take advantage of it for education as well?

How can we advance the understanding of the cause/effect scenario when it comes to broadening participation in STEM education?
Parents, employers, teachers all need to do their part in helping make students aware of the breadth of STEM careers, and the excitement of the kinds of challenging problems you get to work on with these jobs. Then we need to make STEM education resemble these exciting job roles as much as possible to close the gap between what STEM jobs look like and what STEM education looks like. That will motivate students and help them see the relevance of what they are learning to possible future career options. There is no bigger turnoff than having to memorize facts and formulas that aren’t made relevant to solving realistic problems. That’s not what a STEM job is about and it shouldn’t be what STEM education is about either.

Thank you, Dr. Jona, for your insight and time.

Last year, more than 700 executives, educators and government officials from all over the country packed the Albuquerque Convention Center for the inaugural event. We expect another successful sell-out event that will bring teachers, principals, superintendents, technology in education experts, and others together to share the most successful innovations in teaching and learning.

Innovate-Educate is recognized as one of the top non-profits in the country focusing on the alignment of industry, education and government to advance education, with a focus on STEM. Industry is a catalyst in 21st century education and workforce development, and the thought leadership and vision of the Innovate-Educate Board of Directors is creating a national movement to trigger true collaboration between these fields by highlighting what’s really happening in our country and helping to advance our future workforce.

Don’t miss your chance to participate! With more than 60 exhibitors, nationally-recognized speakers and engaging panel discussions, this conference will focus on what has to happen to truly address the education needs of our country. U.S. leadership participating include: Intel, Blackboard, Cisco Systems, SAS, Lenovo, HP, Dell, Microsoft Corporation, Apple Computers, AT&T, IBM, Oracle, Lockheed Martin, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Workforce, STEM consultant to GATES Foundation, Kauffman Foundation, and the National Science Foundation just to name a few. Each organization will speak on their commitment to education and what they are doing in addressing our nation at risk.

You can register online now for this year’s exciting event on our Upcoming Events page. We also have a broad range of Sponsorship Opportunities still available. Hurry now. Limited space remains. Also, if you are interested in presenting, we are accepting Presentation Proposal Applications now for this year’s event – a great opportunity to get involved.

See you April 22 and April 23.

In order to make the information available to the public as quickly as possible, while fulfilling legal obligations to protect certain information, including personal information that may have been included, the Department will be posting the applications in two stages.

At this time, only the states’ narrative responses to the application criteria are available, but because each state had some flexibility in determining the placement of the information provided in its application, the narrative statements for some states include information that other states determined were best included in the appendices.

• Click Here to view all the state applications
• Click Here to view New Mexico’s application (large file – 39.1 M)

U.S. DoE notes on their Web site that the documents provided online are partial applications; they include only the application narratives and not the appendices, and as such do not constitute the entire application submitted.

The Department of Education currently is reviewing the remaining portions of the applications — the appendices — and intends to post them in the coming weeks.