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Secretary DeVos Awards More than $180 Million to States Rethinking K-12 Education to Better Meet Students’ Needs During Coronavirus Disruption
JULY 29, 2020
Contact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced today more than $180 million in new grant funding will be awarded to 11 states rethinking education to better serve students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rethink K-12 Education Models Grant will support states’ efforts to create new, innovative ways for students to continue learning in ways that meet their needs. Awardees include Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas. The awards range from $6 million to $20 million.
“Ensuring every student can continue to learn during the coronavirus pandemic requires innovation from local education leaders and a laser-like focus on doing what’s right for students,” said Secretary DeVos. “This grant will help states adapt and overcome challenges to strengthen education both now and for the longer term. If we’ve learned anything from this pandemic, it’s that the antiquated one-size-fits-all approach to education is no longer tenable and education going forward must be more adaptable and student-centered. I want to congratulate today’s awardees for making the needed effort to rethink education on behalf of their students.”
Congress set aside 1% of the $30.75 billion allotted to the Education Stabilization Fund through the CARES Act for grants to states with the highest coronavirus burden. The Department of Education announced the Rethink K-12 Education Models (REM) grant competition in April 2020, inviting any state educational agency to apply. The program supports new, innovative ways to access education with an emphasis on meeting students’ needs during the coronavirus national emergency. Specifically, it called for projects to provide families with:
Microgrants, so that states can ensure families have access to the technology and services to advance learning remotely (absolute priority 1);
Statewide virtual learning and course access programs, so that students can access a full range of subjects, even those not taught in their assigned setting (absolute priority 2); or
New, field-initiated models for providing remote education to ensure that every child is learning and preparing for successful careers and lives (absolute priority 3).
State Education Agency
State
Absolute Priority #
Funding Level
Louisiana Department of Education
LA
1
$16,999,992
Tennessee Department of Education
TN
1
$20,000,000
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
RI
2
$10,898,643
Texas Education Agency
TX
2
$19,978,625
Iowa Department of Education
IA
2
$17,681,016
Georgia Department of Education
GA
2
$18,594,304
South Carolina Department of Education
SC
3
$15,049,608
New York State Education Department
NY
3
$19,986,089
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
NC
3
$17,632,125
South Dakota Department of Education
SD
3
$6,883,481
Maine Department of Education
ME
3
$16,958,613
TOTAL:
$180,662,496
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