Pennsylvania school districts and charter schools eligible to receive Title I funding during the 2011-12 school year are eligible to receive a Race to the Top grant. Approximately 50 percent of Pennsylvania’s $41,326,299 Race to the Top federal grant will be awarded to eligible local education agencies (LEAs) to support the adoption and implementation of Pennsylvania’s educator effectiveness models and instruments.

Based on the Danielson Framework, these tools are designed to improve the way teachers, specialists and principals are evaluated, and to enhance educator training and professional growth in the Commonwealth.

Race to the Top grant funding may be used by a LEA for any expenses incurred through participation in related professional development and for costs associated with the implementation of the educator effectiveness instruments post professional development.

To demonstrate the intent to participate in Pennsylvania’s Race to the Top Program, LEAs must create a Request for Grant (RFG) application in eGrants no later than midnight on Friday, March 30, 2012, and submit via eGrants no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, April 27, 2012. Please Note: Creation of an RFG application only signals the LEA’s intent at the time of creation; it does not commit the LEA to participate.

If an eligible LEA does not create a Request for Grant application in eGrants by midnight on Friday, March 30, 2012, the LEA will be deemed to have  ‘opted-out’ of the Race to the Top grant. Grant funding initially allocated to those LEAs electing not to participate will be reapportioned to participating entities; therefore, the final grant allocation may be higher than the initial grant allocation listed on the Race to the Top web site.

To learn more about Pennsylvania’s Race to the Top LEA Grant Program and the Request for Grant Application process, LEAs are invited to participate in a one-hour informational webinar at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 29, 2012, (instructions posted below). If a LEA is unable to attend, the webinar will be recorded and available through April 27 under  “Recordings” at http://vclass.cciu.org.   

Additional Information:

Pennsylvania’s Educator Effectiveness Project, visit:
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/newsroom/7234/page/1034646

Race to the Top Program, including eligible LEA and allocations and application guidelines, visit: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/american_recovery_and_reinvestment_act/17696/race_to_the_top/1066062

Note: A LEAs Race to the Top grant may be higher than the initial allocation if other eligible LEAs  ‘Opt-Out’

To Participate in the March 29 Webinar:

You may join the webinar up to 30 minutes prior to the start time.   

•    Go to http://vclass.cciu.org
•    Click the hyperlink for the webinar titled  “Race to the Top” — LEA Grant Application
•    Log in as “Guest”
•    Enter your email address
•    Enter Display Name: first name, last name and LEA or organization (e.g., Mary Smith — PDE)
•    Click the “Log In” button (there is NO password needed to join the Webinar)

Test your connection to the server that will host the webinar by going to http://vclass.cciu.org/join_meeting.html?meetingId=1157038045616.   Log in as a “guest” and enter your name and email address.

If your browser is Internet Explorer, it must be version 7.0 or later. Additional system requirements for Elluminate are located at http://www.pdewebinars.org/systemrequirements.php.

If your agency has a firewall-protected network, your network tech person must open ports 80 and 2187 and may need to turn off your proxy server.   For technical assistance, contact Diane Thomson with the Chester County Intermediate Unit at dianet@cciu.org.