Race to the Top Round 2 Applicants Announced

35 states plus the District of Columbia submitted applications for the second round of Race to the Top competition, in which $3.4 billion in economic stimulus funds are still available. See the full list of states here.

The U.S. Education Department (USED) will select the Round 2 winners over the summer using the same process as was used in Round 1. In the panel review stage, five expert reviewers will read and discuss each application. They will then score and comment on each application independently, and the applicant will be given a score based on the average of the five scores. USED will look for a natural break in the scores to identify finalists and invite those finalists to D.C. to make in-person presentations to the review panels. Each reviewer will then submit final scores, and the Secretary will select awardees. Depending on the size of the winning states, 10-15 states could win Race to the Top grants. The administration will announce the winners before the end of September.

States that did not apply are: Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. Delaware and Tennessee, as Round 1 winners, were not eligible to apply. More information on Race to the Top is on the USED Web site.