U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan made the announcement on Tuesday that Hawai‘i is among 18 states and the District of the Columbia, out of a total of 36 applicants, to be selected as a finalist.

“The selection of Hawai‘i as Round 2 Race to the Top finalist by the U.S. Department of Education reflects the hard work by the Hawai‘i Department of Education, Board of Education, my Administration and the community to develop an application package that outlines a clear plan with specific benchmarks to raise student performance and help struggling schools," said Governor Lingle.

“Whether or not Hawai‘i receives Race to the Top funds, we are committed to implementing the initiatives detailed in our application plan.  The goals laid out in our application are achievable and the strategies for meeting these goals will give our schools the tools and resources to help students be successful in the classroom while preparing them for their future careers.

“We will continue to work closely with the DOE and BOE over the next two weeks to prepare our state’s presentation to the U.S. DOE in order to demonstrate Hawai‘i’s vision for education and our plan for achieving meaningful education reform," the Governor added.

 

Read the Execuitve Summary of Hawai‘i’s Race to the Top application.