By Rebecca Feldhaus/KPR
Frankfort, KY – Kentucky's final exam for Race to the Top Funds is a 90-minute oral review before a panel of seasoned educators. Officials with the Kentucky Department of Education have tweaked their application for the federal funding, and will be present the plan Tuesday in Washington. David Cook, the state's Race to the Top project manager, says the Commonwealth deserves to be among the 19 finalists.
"When people at the national level, the national press level, say, Why is Kentucky a finalist, they don't even have charter schools' the Secretary of Education's response is, This isn't about charter schools. It's about being innovative and finding the right solutions to make our educational system better.'"
Cook will make the Washington trip with Kentucky's education commissioner, the head of the state's education union, an official with the Council on Postsecondary Education, and the superintendent of Kenton County Schools. Cook says each person will speak about Kentucky's ideas and plans for improving teacher effectiveness and partnerships with colleges and universities.