OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC MEDIA IN RACE TO THE TOP - DISTRICT

September 4, 2012

Final priorities for the Race To The Top - District competition are now available, and they provide a strong opportunity for stations to get involved in the process. We covered the proposed "RTT-D" priorities in June, but now, with things more concrete and the deadline coming up, we're revisiting the final priorities to clarify some points and encourage stations to find out what it could mean for them. Applications are due October 30, 2012, so now is the time to get in touch with your district to find out if they are planning to apply. On Friday, August 31, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education announced that 893 potential applicants submitted their Intent to Apply for this program.

Overall, the priorities include many leverage points for stations to use while approaching school districts for partnerships, even taking a tentative step toward encouraging the use of digital resources and tools.

Absolute Priority: Personalized Learning

Each eligible applicant must address the requirements of Absolute Priority 1, Personalized Learning Environments. Each eligible applicant must coherently and comprehensively address how it will create learning environments that are designed to:

• Significantly improve learning and teaching through the personalization of strategies, tools and supports for students and educators that are aligned with college- and career-ready standards.
• Accelerate student achievement and deepen student learning by meeting the academic needs of each student.
• Increase the effectiveness of educators.
• Expand student access to the most effective educators.
• Decrease achievement gaps across student groups.
• Increase the rates at which students graduate from high school prepared for college and careers.

This is being seen in Washington as a slightly veiled way of incentivizing applicants to implement digital content and services. Under the final criteria for Absolute Priority 1, the Department notes that applicants must design a personalized learning environment that will use collaborative, data-based strategies and 21st-century tools such as online learning platforms, computers, mobile devices, and learning algorithms, to deliver instruction and supports tailored to the needs and goals of each student, with the aim of enabling all students to graduate college- and career-ready. We know that the use of high-quality digital educational content and services -- like those created and provide by public media -- make all of these activities more possible and more effective and make the goal of personalized learning a reality.

Eligibility Requirement: Teacher Data

Applicants must implement no later than the 2014-2015 school year evaluation systems that must include student growth as a factor of effectiveness for teachers, principals and superintendents. They must also have a robust data system in place that has both an individual teacher identifier with a teacher-student match and the capability to provide timely data back to educators and their superintendents on student growth. This puts pressure on districts, who may decide not to apply if they do not want to implement a system like this.

But public media has materials to help districts prepare for and implement new data systems. Public media can help districts educate teachers, parents and community members about the changes, through professional development materials, broadcast and other tactics.

Competitive Preference Priority: Partnerships

The criteria for RTT-D includes a "Results, Resource Alignment and Integrated Services" competitive preference priority that enables an eligible applicant to receive extra points on the application based on the extent to which it integrates public and private resources to augment the schools' core resources by providing additional student and family supports, such as addressing the social-emotional, behavioral and other needs of the participating students. This priority strongly favors applicants who have standing formal relationships with external partners, with proven results and a strong data system in place. All stations, and especially those with strong relationships with their school districts, should consider leveraging this competitive opportunity.

Overall, there is an opportunity for public media to be a strong partner in RTT-D applications in order to help districts meet the requirements and infuse innovation and quality into the applications.