The U.S. Department of Education announced today that New York is one of 16 states named as finalists for the first phase of Race to the Top funding. A total of 41 states submitted applications. More information is available at ed.gov.
Statement by NYSUT President Richard C. Iannuzzi on New York's Race to the Top application
.gif)
"Today's announcement that New York is a finalist for a share of the $4.35 billion in federal Race to the Top grants confirms what New York State United Teachers has said from the beginning: that the state had a strong application and would be competitive.
"We believed from the very start of this process that New York possessed the basic building blocks to put forward a very competitive application. New York's inclusion on the list of finalists confirms just that.
"NYSUT is prepared to work collaboratively with the State Education Department and the Board of Regents to move New York from finalist to award recipient. Achieving that goal obligates SED and the Regents to engage New York's outstanding practitioners who are best capable of defining excellence. That engagement will be the ultimate test."
NYSUT, the state's largest union, represents more than 600,000 teachers, school-related professionals, academic and professional faculty in higher education, professionals in education and health care and retirees. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.
Video
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announces the finalists.