Carson City School District picked for federal 'Race to the Top' grant

The Carson City School District was among 16 winners of federal grant money from the The U.S. Department of Education's 2012 Race to the Top-District competition.

The Carson City School District will receive a share of the $400 million grant, around and up to $10 million, to support locally developed plans to personalize and deepen student learning, directly improve student achievement and educator effectiveness, close achievement gaps, and prepare every student to succeed in college and their careers.

"This is wonderful news for Carson City's students, teachers and parents" said Nevada Sen. Harry Reid. "As someone whose life was transformed by teachers, I understand the importance of providing all Nevadans with the opportunity to receive a quality education. While I wish that other school districts in the state were also awarded this grant, I know these funds will help put Carson's students on a path towards success."

Carson City School District Superintendent Richard Stokes said being awarded the Race to the Top grant "is a wonderful event for the Carson City School District. It will allow us to make academic plans in a time of a down economy.

"I'm very pleased at the quality of work produced by Dr. Pradere and the school and community committee that collaborated on this project. It feels like we got an early Christmas."

Preparation for the grant began in summer and the application was submitted in October. Dr. Steve Pradere, director of grants and special projects for the Carson City School District said there was a team of 20 members that represented various groups, including bargaining, teachers, administrators, community representatives and parents.

He was elated with Tuesday's announcement.

"This is an exceptional opportunity for the students of Carson City School District," Pradere said. "This grant will provide an opportunity for students to have both college and career experiences that will better prepare them to be competitive in world environment."

Susan Keema, associate superintendent of educational services for the Carson City School District, said the news is especially significant both inside and outside the classroom.

"I'm very proud of Dr. Pradere and the committee's work," she said. "This is a great day for the district and our community and our state and mostly for our students."

School districts have been hungry to drive reform at the local level, and now these winners can empower their school leaders to pursue innovative ideas where they have the greatest impact: in the classroom, said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "The Race to the Top-District grantees have shown tremendous leadership though developing plans that will transform the learning environment and enable students to receive a personalized, world-class education."

The 2012 Race to the Top-District grantees will receive four-year awards that range from $10 million to $40 million, depending on the number of students served through the plan. The winning applicants were the top scorers among the 372 applications the Department received in November, which were evaluated and scored by independent peer reviewers.

Attached below and linked here is the technical review of the Carson City School District's application and here is what some the review said:

The Carson City district provides a very strong, comprehensive, and coherent plan for the revision of the district school system. The four core educational assurances areas are present. For example, adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the national economy. The applicant indicates a desire to implement common comprehensive post assessments, common unit assessment and mapping of the curriculum in partnership with the university system and facilitators to align the curriculum and assessment systems that guide students to mastery. In addition, training staff to understand and articulate learning targets of all classes. The applicant will publish learning goals to be used by students to help identify learning targets and monitor progress with the development of learning guides.

The applicant shows that it is building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals with data about how they can improve instruction. For example, the applicant developed two transparent intertwined data systems (student e portfolio and student mastery data system) to monitor college and career components and readiness. In addition, the applicant will be recruiting, training, rewarding and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially in the schools where they are needed most. The plan is to move all teachers from delivery stance to learner- centered. The applicant will also hire implementation specialists and implement administrator specific training.

The applicant indicates it will be turning around the lowest achieving schools. For example, the goal is to provide a learner-centered environment with an align curriculum and assessment system into a mastery of college and career ready standards across the district. The district has plans to build a comprehensive transformation system that will restructure education delivery at the secondary level. Students will be able to have personalized learning experiences based on their needs to obtain mastery for each and every course, including college and career ready courses.

Grantees represent a diverse set of districts, including applicants from both states that received a Race to the Top state grant as well as those that have not received Race to the Top state funding. Among the winners is a rural-area consortium representing 24 rural districts, which comprise 44 percent of the total number of districts that will benefit from the 2012 competition.

The Race to the Top-District competition builds on the success of the Race to the Top state grant program by supporting classroom-level reform efforts that encourage transformative change within schools. Applicants from all districts were invited to demonstrate how they can personalize education for all students and provide school leaders and teachers with tools that help them best meet their students' needs. In developing their plans, districts collaborated with educators, parents, and both public and private organizational leaders to ensure their vision was supported by key community stakeholders.

"Since the day he took office, President Obama has been laser-focused on the goal of ensuring that every child has access to a quality education," said Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, Cecilia Muñoz. "Race to the Top exemplifies this commitment and marks an historic moment in American education, raising the bar and improving outcomes for schools across the United States."

Race to the Top, which launched in 2009, has inspired dramatic education reform nationwide, leading 45 states and the District of Columbia to pursue higher college- and career-ready standards, data-driven decision making, greater support for teachers and leaders, and turnaround interventions in low-performing schools. These 16 grantees will build on those principles at the classroom level to support localized plans that will directly improve student achievement and educator effectiveness.

"Race to the Top sparked as much reform in some states that didn't receive funds as in those that did – a trend we want to see continued with the Race to the Top-District competition, where the number of strong district applicants was greater than the funding we had available," Duncan said. "We want districts to keep moving on these blueprints for reform to transform the learning environment and ultimately prepare every student for college and their career."

Race to the Top-District plans are tailored to meet the needs of local communities and feature a variety of strategies, including: using technology to personalize learning for each student; giving students opportunities to learn beyond the traditional school day and environment; supporting students' transitions throughout their education, including from high school to college and careers; expanding partnerships with community organizations to provide students with targeted social services like crisis intervention, individual counseling and life enrichment opportunities; and providing professional development and coursework options to deepen learning in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

For more information about the Race to the Top-District program, including a list of winners, requested award amounts and additional materials, visit the Department's website: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-district/index.html. The grantees are also listed below:

*indicates consortium

Carson City School District, Nevada

Charleston County School District, South Carolina

Galt Joint Union School District, California

*Green River Regional Educational Cooperative, Kentucky, consortium leader (consortium members: Adair County Schools, Campbellsville Independent Schools, Carroll County Schools, Caverna Independent Schools, Cloverport Independent Schools, Daviess County Schools, Green County Schools, Hart County Schools, Henry County Schools, Logan County Schools, Metcalfe County Schools, Monroe County Schools, Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, Owen County Schools, Owensboro Independent Schools, Russell County Schools, Shelby County Schools, Simpson County Schools, Spencer County Schools, Taylor County Schools, Trimble County Schools, Union County Schools, West Point Independent Schools)

Guilford County Schools, North Carolina

*Harmony Science Academy (Harmony Public Schools), Texas, consortium leader (consortium members: Harmony School of Excellence, Harmony School of Science-Houston, Harmony Science Academy-Austin, Harmony Science Academy-Brownsville, Harmony Science Academy-El Paso, Harmony Science Academy-Fort Worth, Harmony Science Academy-Lubbock, Harmony Science Academy-San Antonio, Harmony Science Academy-Waco)

IDEA Public Schools, Texas

Iredell-Statesville Schools, North Carolina

KIPP DC, Washington, D.C.

Lindsay Unified School District, California

Metropolitan School District of Warren Township, Indiana

Middletown City School District, New York

New Haven Unified School District, California

*Puget Sound Educational Service District, Washington, consortium leader (consortium members: Auburn School District, Federal Way Public Schools, Highline Public Schools, Kent School District, Renton School District, Seattle Public Schools, Tukwila School District)

School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida

St. Vrain Valley Schools, Colorado