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Illinois Finalist for More Stimulus Money
The U.S. Department of Education has named 16 finalists in the first round of its "Race to the Top" competition and Illinois is among them.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says 41 states applied for the competition with 16 coming out on top. He says the number of winners announced in April will likely be in the single digits. He couldn't speak about specific states results.

The grants are designed to reward and spur states to lift student achievement by developing strong standards, getting high-quality teachers in the classroom, and turning around low-performing schools.

The next phase of the competition requires a delegation from Illinois to travel to Washington, D.C. to interview with federal officials. Illinois is hoping to secure $510 million. Duncan says the program will ultimately deliver $4.35 billion in school reform grants. The money is part of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus law.

"In these tough economic times, we are working harder than ever to bring federal money home to Illinois," said Gov. Pat Quinn in a written statement. Quinn says members of the Illinois delegation will be announced soon.

A second round of applications will be accepted in June.

Selected Thursday from a pool of 41 applicants:

Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee.

(Illinois Radio Network)
03 05 10 by Newsroom
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