Race to the Top

Series produced by Learning Matters

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PRX default Series image 

The "Race to the Top" competition is unlike any education reform effort in U.S. history. This series of reports covers the past and present of school funding by government.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has more power than any other education secretary in the nation’s history. Duncan possesses 4.35 billion dollars in discretionary funds to push the reforms his administration believes will turn around the country’s failing schools, such as more charters and higher standards. What’s more, to get a piece of the money states must compete for it.

The competition is called the “Race to the Top,” and it is unlike any education reform efforts of the past. This series of reports seeks to cover the history of education reforms in the U.S. and tracks the current competition for a piece of that multi-billion dollar fund.


4 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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Should teachers be paid based on what they teach or what their student learn? Hear Randi Weingarten's answer to this question as well as her though...

  • Added: Apr 19, 2010
  • Length: 09:38
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Sixteen finalists left in the Race to the Top. Competition is fierce, and the announcement of who will get the funding is rapidly approaching. How ...

  • Added: Apr 19, 2010
  • Length: 03:15
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NEA president Dennis Van Roekel talks with John Merrow about teacher evaluation; should we judge teachers based on how they teach or on what their ...

Bought by WTIP


  • Added: Apr 19, 2010
  • Length: 08:40
  • Purchases: 1
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Back in December, Delaware’s Deputy Secretary of Education Dan Cruce said his state would be winning the Race to the Top money. He was right. But w...

  • Added: Apr 19, 2010
  • Length: 05:27