Making Education Work for All Georgians!
CONTACT INFORMATION
Teresa MacCartney
DOE Race to the Top Director
Deputy Superintendent

tmaccartney@doe.k12.ga.us

Clara Keith
Associate Superintendent of Implementation

ckeith@doe.k12.ga.us


Mark E. Pevey, Ph.D.
Race to the Top Implementation Director

mpevey@doe.k12.ga.us

Jon Rogers
Communications Director

jonrogers@gadoe.org

Sylvia Hooker
Deputy Superintendent for School Turnaround

shooker@doe.k12.ga.us

Kathie Wood
Teacher - Lead Advisor

kwood@doe.k12.ga.us

Team Bios

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Georgia's Race to the Top (RT3) Plan

The Race to the Top fund is a $4 billion grant opportunity provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to support new approaches to school improvement. The funds are made available in the form of competitive grants to encourage and reward states that are creating conditions for education innovation and reform, specifically implementing ambitious plans in four education reform areas:

  • Recruiting, preparing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and
  • Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;
  • Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction;
  • Turning around our lowest–achieving schools.
Georgia’s vision as set forth in the application:
“To equip all Georgia students, through effective teachers and leaders and through creating the right conditions in Georgia’s schools and classrooms, with the knowledge and skills to empower them to 1) graduate from high school, 2) be successful in college and/or professional careers, and 3) be competitive with their peers throughout the United States and the world.”

Georgia’s application was prepared through a partnership between the Governor’s Office, the Georgia Department of Education, the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement and education stakeholders. Four working groups and a fifth critical feedback team consisting of teachers, principals, superintendents, higher education faculty, non–profit and informal education organizations, state policy makers, and members of the business and philanthropic communities developed the ideas for inclusion in the state’s winning application. Georgia was awarded $400 million to implement its Race to the Top plan and the State Board of Education has direct accountability for the grant.

Georgia is partnering with 26 school systems around the state. Half of the awarded funds will remain at the state level and half will go directly to partnering local education authorities (LEAs)/school districts via their Title I formula. All funds are to be used to implement Georgia’s RT3 plan. An MOU was signed by each district superintendent and board chair. These districts, which make up 40 percent of public school students, 46 percent of Georgia's students in poverty, 53 percent of Georgia’s African American students, 48 percent of Hispanics and 68 percent of the state's lowest achieving schools, are: Atlanta, Ben Hill, Bibb, Burke, Carrolton, Chatham, Cherokee, Clayton, Dade, DeKalb, Dougherty, Gainesville, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Meriwether, Muscogee, Peach, Pulaski, Rabun, Richmond, Rockdale, Spalding, Treutlen, Valdosta and White.

Race to the Top Links
SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER
US Department of Education
US Race to the Top
State of Georgia
GA Department of Education

Updates
Steering Committee Members
RT3 September - October 2011 Newsletter
RT3 Steering Committees Update - August 2011
RT3 July - August 2011 Newsletter
Steering Committees Update - June 2011
RT3 June 2011 Newsletter
RT3 April - May 2011 Newsletter

Resources
RT3 Overview Plan
Great Teachers & Leaders
Standards & Assessments
STEM, Innovation Fund & Improving Early Learning Outcomes
Data Systems to Support Instruction
Turning Around Lowest Achieving Schools

Education Partners
Office of Student Achievement
Office of Planning and Budget
Dept. of Early Care and Learning
Professional Standards Commission
University System of Georgia
Technical Colleges of Georgia
Georgia Student Finance Commission

Partner Districts
Atlanta Public Schools
Ben Hill County Schools
Bibb County Schools
Burke County Schools
Carrollton City Schools
Chatham County Schools
Cherokee County Schools

Innovation Fund
Innovation Fund FAQs
Innovation Fund Application
Innovation Fund Webinar

Vendor Information
Becoming a Georgia Supplier
State Purchasing Divsion Directors
2011 Supplier Training Events