Twenty-two Kentucky school districts have started the school year with new programs funded by one of the largest federal Race To The Top grants recently awarded.
Officials say the 41-million dollars in grants will be used to support additional staff, including college and career counselors, teacher coaches and for professional development. The school districts are part of the Ohio Valley and Green River Regional Education Cooperatives. They include regions in central and northern Kentucky.
Alica Sells is a spokeswoman for the group. She says Kentucky educators anticipate the effects of the program to extend beyond the four-year grant.
“What we’re looking for with this grant is to create not just trans-formational change for a short period of time, but to really change the way we provide education in Kentucky.” –Alicia Sells
Sells says the group is working on an aggressive timeline, but says four years is more than enough time to implement the programs effectively.