Last week, South Carolina was one of 15 states selected in a competition to be considered for the Race to the Top grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Education. South Carolina was chosen from among 39 states and the District of Columbia to advance to the final stage for this first round of Race to the Top grants.
South Carolina’s application was preferred by a panel of national experts because of our state’s plan for education reform. Among other things, the application presented outlines for innovation in the schools, teacher quality, increased options within the public schools, improved use of data to advance student achievement, and academic rigor. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said: “These states are an example for the country of what is possible when adults come together to do the right thing for children.”
This selection is the latest indicator that South Carolina’s long term efforts at improving academic achievement are showing results. It also underscores that this is no time to veer down an unproven path of vouchers or tax credits that would undercut efforts to reform and improve our public schools.
The drumbeat of budget cuts, unstable funding sources, and political attacks on the public schools threatens to undermine progress and new initiatives to increase student academic achievement. We cannot develop a successful 21st century workforce and an able citizenry unless we stick to the hard work of school reform and focus on initiatives that work.
Tags: Public Education, Race to the Top, Vouchers