State of Education in Tennessee Executive Summary – 2011-12 | Page 17

SECTION 2: S CORE Card First to the Top Progress Update In March 2010, the U.S. Department of Education selected Tennessee as one of two states awarded a first round Race to the Top grant. The award, which will bring more than $500 million to Tennessee over a period of four years, rewards states that have committed to ambitious plans for comprehensive education reform. Tennessee’s ambitious plan for education reform is embodied in First to the Top, a body of reforms that the state has committed to that will dramatically alter the way education is delivered in order to prepare students for a globally competitive world. The Race to the Top grant is being used to support these activities. As mentioned earlier in this report, 2011 marked the first year of statewide impleme