U.S. Chamber Congratulates Nine States and D.C. on Winning Race to the Top Competition

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today congratulated the 10 winners of the Race to the Top competition’s second phase: the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Rhode Island.

“We applaud these nine states and the District of Columbia for committing to reforming the education system and improving academic achievement for all students,” said Margaret Spellings, executive vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce who oversees the Chamber’s education initiatives. “However, we will be keeping a close eye on their progress and holding officials’ feet to the fire on producing results.”

In phase one of the Race to the Top (RTTT) competition, Delaware received $100 million of the funds while Tennessee was awarded $500 million. The U.S. Department of Education put a cap on the amount any one state could be awarded in phase two. The Department will finalize winners’ budgets over time, awarding funds as states meet established benchmarks.

This fall, the Chamber’s Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW) will begin hosting a series of five business roundtables in selected states that have won RTTT grants. ICW will bring together businesses and chambers of commerce in these states to discuss outcomes and accountability in their RTTT plans.

“Many of the winning states have a strong business community dedicated to improving education statewide,” added Spellings. “We will work to ensure that the business voice is loud and clear when it comes to taking aggressive action to meet Race to the Top goals.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

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