Nine states to see federal funds for low-performing schools
As the Obama administration continues to strive toward its goals of the U.S. having the most educated workforce and highest number of college graduates in the world by 2020, the Department of Education has announced that nine additional states will receive federal funds to improve their most struggling schools.
The School Improvement Grant (SIG) funds will come from $535 million set aside in the 2011 federal budget to help states turn around their most consistently troubled schools. In fiscal year 2009, some $3.5 billion were given to states via SIG funds.
“We’ve stood on the sidelines for too long as our lowest-performing schools failed our children year after year,” said the nation’s schools chief Arne Duncan. “The School Improvement Grants program is providing courageous school leaders and teacher teams in more than 1,200 schools nationwide with the means to accomplish the very difficult work of turning around some of our hardest to serve schools.”
The following states are set to receive federal funding to enhance their lowest-performing schools:
- Arkansas – $5.7 million
- Colorado – $5.7 million
- Delaware – $1.5 million
- Illinois – $23.6 million
- Indiana – $9.3 million
- Massachusetts – $7.8 million
- Nebraska – $2.4 million
- North Dakota -$1.2 million
- Pennsylvania – $19.6 million
In order for a school district to receive SIG funds from their state, they must detail a plan to use one of four models to improve their low-performing schools. These models, according to the Department of Education, are:
- Turnaround Model: Replace the principal, screen existing school staff and rehire no more than half the teachers; adopt a new governance structure; and improve the school through curriculum reform, professional development, extending learning time and other strategies.
- Restart Model: Convert a school or close it and re-open it as a charter school or under an education management organization.
- School Closure: Close the school and send the students to higher-achieving schools in the district.
- Transformation Model: Replace the principal and improve the school through comprehensive curriculum reform, professional development, extended learning time and other strategies.
