Kentucky makes 'great progress' in Race to the Top education reform

Kentucky saw "great progress" in the second year of implementing its plan for the federal Race to the Top education reform initiative which provided $17 million to the state, U.S. Department of Education officials said Friday.

The federal government released Race to the Top state progress reports for the period from January to December 2013 for seven states that received grants, including Kentucky.

"In the second year of this particular set of Race to the Top grants, Kentucky has made great progress toward providing better resources, tools and feedback for teachers to help expand opportunities for all students to be successful in college and careers," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

However, the report also said that Kentucky experienced challenges in determining how teachers are using the state's online system, which provides access to Kentucky academic standards and instructional materials in order to improve instruction.

Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday said this week that the Race to the Top funding has been instrumental in Kentucky's efforts to transform teaching and learning across the state.

"While there is much more work to be done to improve Kentucky schools and reach our goal of college/career-readiness for all students, we are pleased that the U.S. Department of Education has recognized the progress we have made thus far," Holliday said.

This story was originally published June 13, 2014 at 12:03 AM with the headline "Kentucky makes 'great progress' in Race to the Top education reform."