OpportunityTitle: Race to The Top Fund Phase II Applications CFDA 84.395A
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico (referred to in this notice as State). A State must meet the following requirements in order to be eligible to receive funds under this program. (a) The State&apos;s applications for funding under Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund program must be approved by the Department prior to the State being awarded a Race to the Top grant. (b) At the time the State submits its application, there must not be any legal, statutory, or regulatory barriers at the State level to linking data on student achievement (as defined in this notice) or student growth (as defined in this notice) to teachers and principals for the purpose of teacher and principal evaluation.
Description: Note: Each funding opportunity description is a synopsis of information in the Federal Register application notice. For specific information about eligibility, please see the official application notice. The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html. Please review the official application notice for pre-application and application requirements, application submission information, performance measures, priorities and program contact information. Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Race to the Top Fund, a competitive grant program authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), is to encourage and reward States that are creating the conditions for education innovation and reform; achieving significant improvement in student outcomes, including making substantial gains in student achievement, closing achievement gaps, improving high school graduation rates, and ensuring student preparation for success in college and careers; and implementing ambitious plans in four core education reform areas: (a) Adopting internationally-benchmarked standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and the workplace; (b) Building data systems that measure student success and inform teachers and principals in how they can improve their practices; (c) Increasing teacher effectiveness and achieving equity in teacher distribution; and (d) Turning around our lowest-achieving schools. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.395A. Application Submission Format and Deadline. Applications for grants under this competition, as well as any amendments regarding adoption of common standards that Phase 2 applicants may file after June 1 and through August 2, 2010, must be submitted in electronic format on a CD or DVD, with CD-ROM or DVD-ROM preferred. In addition, they must submit a signed original of Sections III and IV of the application and one copy of that signed original. Sections III and IV of the application include the Race to the Top Application Assurances and the Accountability, Transparency, Reporting and Other Assurances. All electronic application files must be in a .DOC (document), .DOCX (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. Each file name should clearly identify the part of the application to which the content is responding. If a State submits a file type other than the four file types specified in this paragraph, the Department will not review that material. States should not password-protect these files. The CD or DVD should be clearly labeled with the State&apos;s name and any other relevant information.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: e-Mail: Program Mailbox
GrantorContactText: Julius Cotton &lt;br/&gt;ED Grants.gov FIND Systems Admin. &lt;br/&gt;Phone 202-245-6140 &lt;br/&gt;julius.cotton@ed.gov &lt;br/&gt;Program Manager: &lt;br/&gt;James Butler  &lt;br/&gt;U.S. Department of Education  &lt;br/&gt;400 Maryland Ave., SW., room 3E108  &lt;br/&gt;Washington, DC 20202-6400  &lt;br/&gt;Telephone: 202-205-3775 or by e-mail:
CloseDateExplanation: Applications Available: April 14, 2010. Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply for Phase 2: May 4, 2010. The Department will be able to develop a more efficient process for reviewing grant applications if we have a better understanding of the number of applications we will receive. Therefore, we strongly encourage each potential applicant to send an e-mail notice of its intent to apply for funding for Phase 2 to the e-mail address RacetotheTop@ed.gov by May 4, 2010. The notice of intent to apply is optional; States may still submit applications if they have not notified the Department of their intention to apply. Date of Meeting for Potential Applicants: The Department intends to hold one technical assistance planning workshop. The workshop will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on April 21, 2010. We recommend that applicants attend this workshop. To assist States in preparing the application and to respond to questions, the Department intends to host a Technical Assistance Planning Workshop for potential Phase 2 applicants. The workshop will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 21, 2010. The purpose of the workshop is for Department staff to review the selection criteria, requirements, and priorities with teams of participants responsible for drafting State applications; for Department staff to answer technical questions about the Race to the Top program; and for potential Phase 2 applicants to hear from and ask questions of successful Phase 1 applicants. The Department plans to release more details regarding the workshop in early April. Updates will be available at the Race to the Top Web site http://www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop. Attendance at the workshop is strongly encouraged. For those who cannot attend, transcripts of the meeting will be available on our Web site. Announcements of any other conference calls or Webinars and Frequently Asked Questions will also be available on the Race to the Top Web site. Deadlines for Transmittal of Phase 2 Applications: June 1, 2010. Phase 2 applicants addressing selection criterion (B)(1)(ii)(b) may amend their June 1, 2010 application submission through August 2, 2010 by submitting evidence of having adopted common standards after June 1, 2010. No other information may be submitted after June 1, 2010 in an amended application. Phase 2 Applications: June 1, 2010. Phase 2 applicants addressing selection criterion (B)(1)(ii)(b) may amend their June 1, 2010 application submissions through August 2, 2010 by submitting evidence of having adopted common standards after June 1, 2010. No other information may be submitted in an amended application after June 1, 2010. Deadlines for Intergovernmental Review: Phase 2 Applications: August 2, 2010.