Louisiana's Race to the Top Initiative - Louisiana Department of Education

Welcome to Louisiana’s Race to the Top Initiative

Phase Two of the Race to the Top (R2T) is underway. When the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) announced the first round of winners on March 29, only two states – Delaware and Tennessee – made the final cut. Of the $4.35 billion that was set aside to incentivize states to implement bold public education reform through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Delaware is set to receive $100 million, while Tennessee has secured $500 million. USDOE has said more than $3.4 billion will be available for Phase Two of the competition.

During Phase One of the contest, the list of competitors was narrowed to 16 state finalists, including Louisiana. The state’s final ranking after Round One was eleventh. As in the prior application, Louisiana’s Phase Two application, Our Children Can’t Wait: Louisiana’s Blueprint for Education Reform, is centered on ensuring that across the state every student is taught by an effective teacher, and every teacher is supported by an effective leader.

Louisiana submitted its application on June 1. USDOE is scheduled to announce the finalist states in late July and the winners will be announced in late August or early September.

Submit your comments or questions on Louisiana’s Race to the Top application.

Phase Two Applications

Louisiana’s Phase Two application, Our Children Can’t Wait: Louisiana’s Blueprint for Education Reform, is centered on ensuring that across the state every student is taught by an effective teacher, and every teacher is supported by an effective leader. Key to the state’s application, between Round One and Round Two, state policymakers adopted a law that will expand the value-added evaluation model proposed in Louisiana’s Race to the Top application beyond the voluntary participation of the participating districts and schools. The new law calls for statewide implementation of the new model by the 2012-2013 school year./p>

State and district participation in Race to the Top is voluntary. While the state’s application is designed for statewide impact and reform, 28 of Louisiana’s 70 local school districts and 56 of the state’s 59 independent charter schools signed on as Participating Local Educational Agencies. The participation of these districts and charter schools allows Louisiana’s R2T program to directly impact nearly half of the state’s total student population, 51 percent of the state’s total free and reduced-price meal population and nearly 58 percent of Louisiana’s total minority student population.

States' Applications, Scores and Comments
Louisiana application Score Sheet

Race to the Top Phase Two Presentation

On August 10, 2010, a team of five state and local education officials were invited to Washington, D.C. to present Louisiana’s case for the state’s $175 million application.

Representing the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) were Paul Pastorek, State Superintendent of Education; Rayne Martin, Director of LDOE’s Office of Innovation, who will lead the ongoing implementation of the state’s reform plan; and Gayle Sloan, former superintendent of St. Tammany Parish Public Schools, who recently joined LDOE as a District Improvement Officer. Also representing Louisiana were Jo Ann Matthews, Superintendent of Lafourche Parish Public Schools, which is among the 28 local districts who signed on as a Participating District in the state’s Race to the Top application; and Dr. Jeanne Burns, Associate Commissioner of Teacher and Leadership Initiatives for the Louisiana Board of Regents.

Phase One Applications

The U.S. Department of Education has posted the applications of the 40 states and the District of Columbia that competed in Phase One of Race to the Top. Below are links to those applications, as well as feedback reviewers provided on Louisiana’s first round application.

Race to the Top Round One Presentation

On March 17, 2010, a team of five education and policy leaders made the case for Louisiana’s application in Washington, D.C. Representing Louisiana were State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Member Glenny Lee Buquet, State Senator Karen Carter-Peterson, Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas and Rayne Martin, who will lead the day-to-day operations of the state’s R2T program should Louisiana receive the grant.

Each of the 16 finalist states was allowed to bring five individuals to elaborate on its R2T proposal while participating in a 90-minute presentation and interview session. Finalists were scored on their written applications, and were eligible to earn additional points based on their presentations. Louisiana was one of a handful of finalists that earned substantial points for its team presentation in Washington.

Why We Can't Wait

In October 2009, Louisiana Department of Education officials released a proposed state Race to the Top plan titled “Why We Can’t Wait: Louisiana’s Blueprint for School Improvement” (PDF). The draft plan outlines the state’s approach to the Race to the Top competition. The plan calls for schools to voluntarily agree to actions around accountability, empowerment, human capital, and innovation – mirroring the fundamental objectives of the U.S. Department of Education’s proposal.

The draft plan was discussed at the statewide Race to the Top summit on November 5, 2009. More than 250 participants gathered in Baton Rouge to share ideas, learn more about Race to the Top, and contribute feedback. Use the links below to view materials presented at the summit:

Summit Introduction: Explaining Louisiana’s Approach

At the statewide Race to the Top Summit on November 5, 2009, State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek addressed participants on the purpose of the event and what the grant program could mean for Louisiana. Superintendent Pastorek addressed the initiatives supported by Race to the Top, as well as questions about participation and the sustainability of the programs. Click on the links below to watch the speech.

Part I: “We Cannot have an Approach that’s ‘Top Down’”

Part IIa: "It Starts with a Good Plan"

Part IIb: "It Starts with a Good Plan"

Part III: “This is a Voluntary Program”

A Message from State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek

Over the past decade, Louisiana has made considerable progress in K-12 public education, particularly in efforts to narrow the achievement gap between races and classes. Undoubtedly, our gains are due to the commitment of students, educators and policymakers statewide.

At the same time, it’s daunting to realize Louisiana is still far behind most states. And sadly, despite our improvement, about 200,000, or one-third of our students, are below grade level. That harsh reality compels us to pry ourselves from the status quo — to discard what hasn’t worked and replace it with what does.

Louisiana will soon compete for a share of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top grant. While only a handful of states are expected to win, some may be surprised to learn Louisiana is a front-runner. Specifically, Louisiana’s Recovery School District and charter school program have been singled out as dynamic and effective reform models, garnering national attention even before Race to the Top surfaced. More importantly, both initiatives have significantly raised student achievement — primarily in schools plagued by decades of chronic failure.

In the RSD, after only two years of steady implementation in New Orleans, the gains made in the percentage of students scoring proficient from 2008 to 2009 outpaced state gains in 25 of 30 assessments. And in nearly half of the assessments the gains were double-digit.

Likewise, a recent Stanford University study highlighted Louisiana as one of five states where charter schools outperform traditional public schools. In New Orleans, where 60 percent of the students attend charters, the combined district score for the RSD and Orleans Parish School System has increased 24 percent since 2005, when most students attended traditional schools.

Thus, we are not surprised by the overlap between these models and reform ideas outlined in Race to the Top. All are based on demonstrated success — and all seek to transform schools through principal autonomy, innovation, teacher effectiveness and accountability.

But neither the Louisiana Department of Education nor Race to the Top is suggesting charters are the panacea. Charter conversion is an option, not a requirement. And the department’s current grant proposal allows districts to decide whether to participate, and, if so, whether to transition a school to a charter.

Race to the Top offers Louisiana an unprecedented opportunity to implement sustainable improvement. We hope local districts and Louisiana’s education community will embrace this once-in-a-lifetime chance to fund the transformation of our schools. We encourage citizens to learn more about Race to the Top, and join us in advocating for policies and initiatives centered on the best interest of our children.

We can’t wait, Louisiana! Read More