MIAMI – Several states that won a slice of the U.S. Department of Education’s $4.3 billion Race to the Top competition have had to delay plans to implement ambitious reforms and two could possibly lose money if they don’t get back on track.
Officials released state reports Tuesday detailing the progress of all 12 winners in the first year of implementation and found only three are on schedule with their plans. Another six states are headed in the right direction but facing delays and three — New York, Florida and Hawaii — are reported to have significant issues.
“New York made significant progress through Race to the Top over the last year but has recently hit a roadblock that not only impedes Race to the Top but could threaten other key reform initiatives,” U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Tuesday in a statement. “Backtracking on reform commitments could cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars for improving New York schools.”
It was the second time in weeks the department warned a state could lose money for not fulfilling its Race to the Top proposal. In December, officials admonished Hawaii for “unsatisfactory” performance, placing that state under “high risk” status. Hawaii has requested
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