Proctor Journal

Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Alice Seagren is scheduled to be

in Proctor Wed., Dec. 16 as part of Minnesota’s application for federal Race to the

Top funding.

The Race to the Top Fund is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of

2009 (ARRA) and provides competitive grants to states that are engaged in

education innovation and reform. Minnesota could receive an estimated $175

million.

Seagren will be at the Proctor Area Community Center from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. along

with leaders from K-12 education, higher education, and

business to discuss the effort.

If Minnesota is awarded funds through Race to the Top, half of the money will be

designated for local school districts that pledge to implement the reforms.

“The federal government is recognizing that educational systems around the

country need reform, and I expect Minnesota to be one of the leading states in

those efforts,” said Alice Seagren, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of

Education. “Many of the things they’re asking states to do, we already have in place

here in Minnesota. Q Comp, for example, is Minnesota’s nation-leading reform that

rewards quality teaching and keeps good teachers in the classroom by paying them

in a more professional way.”

The application for Race to the Top requires states to put in place systems and

reforms that meet the following four assurances:

• Adopting internationally benchmarked standards and assessments that prepare

students for success in college and the workplace;

• Recruiting, developing, retaining and rewarding effective teachers and principals;

• Building data systems that measure student success and inform teachers and

principals how they can improve their practice; and

• Turning around our lowest-performing schools.

In addition to the four assurances, there is a separate competitive grant program for

states’ efforts in science, technological, engineering and math (STEM). Minnesota’s

\recent efforts in STEM also make the state well-positioned to win this competition.

A similar meeting was also held October 29, 2009 in Proctor.