North Carolina is making progress on plans that won the state a $400 million federal education grant, but still faces significant challenges as the Race to the Top program continues, according to a U.S. Department of Education report released Tuesday.
The report presents a snapshot of how North Carolina education officials have done in the first year since winning, along with 10 other states and the District of Columbia, an initial round of competition for funding under the program.
North Carolina has taken strides in raising standards for subjects such as science, arts, and technical education, the report found. The state also has moved forward with plans to improve the quality of teachers and principals with initiatives such as the Regional Leadership Academies, two-year programs that provide certification to administrators.
"We're feeling good about where we are," said Bill Harrison, chairman of the state Board of Education. "We've made substantial inroads in meeting our targets, meeting our benchmarks in just about all of our areas."
The report, though, also found that North Carolina faces delays in some of the plans it produced to win the competitive Race to the Top funding.
The state had planned to launch a project to improve virtual course offerings in math and science in some schools, which is now being retooled for a scheduled launch this year. The state had also planned to create an instructor-recruiting system called the North
Carolina Teacher Corps last year, but changed its approach to the project and instead plans to start recruiting for it this year.
Harrison said the state expects to make up for lost time on some of the delayed programs.
Federal officials plan to issue progress reports in each of the four years of the programs, to keep track of whether states are living up to their plans.
"We are supporting states to help them achieve their goals," U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan said in a statement. "At the same time, we will hold them accountable for those commitments."
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