Florida wins $700 Million for Education

By at 26 August, 2010, 9:11 am

Florida won $700 million for its schools in the U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top competition. A big chunk of that money is expected in South Florida. What will the Miami-Dade and Broward districts do with the more than $100 million expected to flow into South Florida schools over the next four years? They’ll start with new strategies to recruit, retain and reward effective teachers. They’ll work to close the achievement gap and make sure more South Florida students go on to college. On Tuesday, Florida was named one of the big winners in the federal government’s second round of the Race to the Top competition, landing $700 million for its public schools. The Miami-Dade district expects its share of the winnings to exceed $60 million.

Broward stands to get about $45 million. “Florida put together a fantastic application and should put be proud of its efforts,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Tuesday. The Miami-Dade district plans to use its share of the money to boost teacher quality and to enhance its data systems. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho hopes the money will help his district to achieve a number of long-term goals, including doubling the percentage of students attending college and cutting the achievement gap in half by 2015. “These funds are not budget relief in any way,” Carvalho said. The Broward district plans to spend its money on more training for teachers who can help close the learning gaps for students.

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Florida wins $700 Million for Education

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