A team of experts under the direction of NCSU’s Friday Institute is working to develop a competitive application for North Carolina to submit to the US Department of Education seeking a portion of the $4 billion in federal stimulus funding made available through the Race to the Top (RTTTT) education reform initiative. RTTT encourages and rewards states that are creating conditions for innovation and reform in their schools, implementing plans for reform, and achieving significant improvements in student outcomes. The primary goal of North Carolina’s application is to improve teaching and learning for students in North Carolina’s poorest school districts. Golden LEAF funds will be used to develop the teacher effectiveness portion of the proposal. A variety of organizations are collaborating on this project, including UNC-CH, NCSU, NC DPI, and several educational nonprofits. In addition to the possibility of leveraging federal funds, the Gates Foundation has committed $250,000 to assist with North Carolina’s effort.
