MN Educators Compete for Billions of Dollars

BURNSVILLE, Minn. - Minnesotans pride themselves on quality schools. That may translate into more money for classrooms under a new federal plan to improve education.

We are hearing more and more about Obama's "Race To The Top" fund. The State Department of Education facilities across the country are scrambling to get a piece of the financial pie.

They are competing for a portion of $4.35 billion that will be distributed to schools.

The first batch of money isn't scheduled to go out until January, but state legislatures over the past few months have been scrambling to rewrite laws governing their education systems.

The areas they are looking to improve include student achievement, closing achievement gaps, improving high school graduation rates, and ensuring students are prepared for college.

Minnesota educators say we have a good chance to get some of the money. Some of Minnesota strengths could be our charter schools and programs that pay our most effective teachers but weaknesses include Minnesota having a larger than average achievement gap.

The competition will be tight, the U.S. Department of Education has not predicted how many states will get the money but experts predict up to 15.