$120 Million in Race to the Top Funds Available for Districts
The U.S. Department of Education recently released the application for the 2013 Race to the Top - District competition, which will provide nearly $120 million to further support classroom strategies already in place to improve student achievement and educator effectiveness. The Department is looking for grantees who are actively transforming the classroom in order to meet allstudents' learning abilities and making access to high-quality education a priority. Preference will be given to applicants partnering with public... ... More »

USDA Offers Grants for Rural Communities
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is accepting applications for grants to provide access to education, training and healthcare resources in rural areas. Funding is authorized through the Department's Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) remains focused on carrying out its mission, despite a time of significant budget uncertainty. Under this notice, USDA may provide up to $17.5 million in grants. Funds can be used to buy... ... More »

Happy Summer Learning Day!
The U.S. Conference of Mayors gave unanimous support to a resolution on summer learning loss at its annual summer conference in Las Vegas. The resolution, submitted by mayors, acknowledges the role the summer slide plays in eroding student performance and exacerbating achievement gaps. For younger students, particularly those from low-income families, it can leave them unable to read well by the end of third grade. For older students, it can increase the chance they will drop... ... More »

New Report Details Museums, Libraries & Early Learning
It's no surprise to anyone that local libraries and museums are key players in exposing children to books and expanding their opportunities to learn. But in recent years, these community institutions have become more and more intentional about how they approach early learning, especially among children from low-income families. The GLR Campaign and the federal Institute for Museum and Libraries Services (IMLS) today released a report documenting 10 key ways that libraries and museums are supporting young... ... More »

Third-Grade Reading Forum Produces Consensus
Students who do not read well by the end of third grade will continue to struggle and will be among those most likely to drop out of high school, said governors and chief state school officers at a Washington Post Live panel discussion on Tuesday. The state leaders, a bipartisan group drawn from  across the country, agreed that reading proficiently by the end of third grade is a national priority but proposed different approaches to ensuring... ... More »