ADP Races to the Top

Joanne Weiss, Director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top (RTTT) Fund, spoke to the 35 American Diploma Project (ADP) Network state leadership teams last week about the goals, expectations and timeline of the $4.3 billion fund. RTTT presents states with an unprecedented opportunity to make dramatic reforms to their P-20 education systems and accelerate their efforts to graduate all high school students prepared for college, careers and life, and Ms. Weiss’ comments and general candor were of great value to the 300-plus state leaders present at the ADP Leadership Team Meeting.

Ms. Weiss opened her speech by acknowledging the power of state-led coalitions and the RTTT’s alignment with the college- and career-ready agenda: “Let me begin, too, by thanking all of you for the leadership you have shown over the past five-plus years since the American Diploma Project got started. [You have] been instrumental in paving the way for many of the reforms that are at the heart of our national discussion on education reform, and are key to the President's and the Secretary's education agenda.” Ms. Weiss went on to clearly lay out the expectations of the four areas of reform required in the RTTT applications – common standards and assessments, teacher effectiveness, P-20 longitudinal data systems, and low-performing schools – with a focus on how these four areas must work together to build a strong system of high expectations and critical supports to avoid the inertia that has plagued education reform in the past.

To read the full transcript of the speech, click here or watch the video.

Click here to see Achieve’s comments to the Department of Education on Race to the Top Fund and here to read Achieve’s Race to the Top: Accelerating College and Career Readiness policy briefs, each focused on one of the four areas of reform required in RTTT.