I 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6244 
To provide incentives for States and local educational agencies to implement 
comprehensive reforms and innovative strategies that are designed to 
lead to significant improvement in outcomes for all students and signifi-
cant reductions in achievement gaps among subgroups of students, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 29, 2010 
Mr. POLIS of Colorado (for himself, Mr. HINOJOSA, and Ms. HIRONO) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu-
cation and Labor 
A BILL 
To provide incentives for States and local educational agen-
cies to implement comprehensive reforms and innovative 
strategies that are designed to lead to significant im-
provement in outcomes for all students and significant 
reductions in achievement gaps among subgroups of stu-
dents, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Race to the Top Act 
of 2010’’. 
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SEC. 2. RACE TO THE TOP. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title VI of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7301 et 
seq.) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating part C as part D; 
(2) by redesignating sections 6301 and 6302 as 
sections 6401 and 6402, respectively; and 
(3) by inserting after part B, the following: 
‘‘PART C—RACE TO THE TOP 
‘‘SEC. 6301. PURPOSES. 
‘‘The purposes of this part are to— 
‘‘(1) provide incentives for States and local edu-
cational agencies to implement comprehensive re-
forms and innovative strategies that are designed to 
lead to— 
‘‘(A) significant improvements in outcomes 
for all students, including improvements in stu-
dent achievement, high school graduation rates, 
college enrollment rates and rates of college 
persistence; and 
‘‘(B) significant reductions in achievement 
gaps among subgroups of students; and 
‘‘(2) encourage the broad identification, adop-
tion, use, dissemination, replication, and expansion 
of effective State and local policies and practices 
that lead to significant improvement in outcomes for 
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all students, and the elimination of those policies 
and practices that are not effective in improving stu-
dent outcomes. 
‘‘SEC. 6302. RESERVATION OF FUNDS. 
‘‘From the amounts made available under section 
6308 for a fiscal year, the Secretary may reserve not more 
than 10 percent to carry out activities related to technical 
assistance, monitoring, outreach, dissemination, and prize 
awards. 
‘‘SEC. 6303. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 
‘‘(a) 
PROGRAM
AUTHORIZATION.—From 
the 
amounts made available under section 6308 for a fiscal 
year, the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive 
basis, to States, local educational agencies, or both for the 
purposes described in section 6301. 
‘‘(b) GRANT AND SUBGRANT ELIGIBILITY LIMITA-
TIONS.— 
‘‘(1) ARRA.—A State that has received a grant 
under section 14006 of division A of the American 
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public 
Law 111–5; 123 Stat. 283) may not receive a grant 
under this part during the period of its grant under 
section 14006 (Public Law 111–5; 123 Stat. 283). 
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‘‘(E) any other measure described in sec-
tion 6305 that is not listed in subparagraph (A) 
through (D); 
‘‘(2) evidence of conditions of innovation and 
reform that the applicant has established and its 
proposed plan for implementing additional conditions 
for innovation and reform, including— 
‘‘(A) a description of how the applicant has 
identified and eliminated ineffective practices in 
the past and its plan for doing so in the future; 
‘‘(B) a description of how the applicant 
has identified and promoted effective practices 
in the past and its plan for doing so in the fu-
ture; and 
‘‘(C) steps the applicant has taken and will 
take to eliminate statutory, regulatory, proce-
dural, or other barriers and to facilitate the full 
implementation of its proposed plan; 
‘‘(3) a comprehensive and coherent plan for 
using funds under this part, and other Federal, 
State, and local funds, to improve the applicant’s 
performance on the measures described in section 
6305, consistent with criteria set forth by the Sec-
retary, including how the applicant will, if applica-
ble— 
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‘‘(A) improve the effectiveness of teachers 
and school leaders, and promote equity in the 
distribution of effective teachers and school 
leaders to ensure that low-income and minority 
children are not— 
‘‘(i) taught by ineffective teachers at 
higher rates than other children; and 
‘‘(ii) enrolled in schools led by ineffec-
tive leaders at higher rates than other chil-
dren; 
‘‘(B) strengthen the use of high-quality 
and timely data to improve instructional prac-
tices, policies, and student outcomes, including 
teacher evaluations; 
‘‘(C) 
implement 
internationally 
bench-
marked, college- and career-ready elementary 
and secondary academic standards, including in 
the areas of assessment, instructional materials, 
professional development, and strategies that 
translate the standards into classroom practice; 
‘‘(D) turn around the persistently lowest- 
achieving schools; 
‘‘(E) support or coordinate with early 
learning programs for high-need children from 
birth through third grade to improve school 
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readiness and ensure that students complete 
third grade on track for school success; and 
‘‘(F) create or maintain successful condi-
tions for high-performing charter schools and 
other innovative, autonomous public schools; 
‘‘(4) if the applicant is a State— 
‘‘(A) evidence of collaboration between the 
State, its local educational agencies, schools (as 
appropriate), parents, teachers, and other 
stakeholders in developing and implementing 
the plan described in paragraph (3), including 
evidence of the commitment and capacity to im-
plement that plan; and 
‘‘(B) the names of those local educational 
agencies the State has selected to participate in 
carrying out the plan; or 
‘‘(C) a description of how it will select local 
educational agencies to participate in carrying 
out the plan; 
‘‘(5) if the applicant is a local educational agen-
cy, evidence of collaboration between the local edu-
cational agency, schools, parents, teachers, and other 
stakeholders, in developing the plan described in 
paragraph (3), including evidence of the commitment 
and capacity to implement the plan; 
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‘‘(6) the applicant’s annual performance meas-
ures and targets, consistent with the requirements of 
section 6305; and 
‘‘(7) a description of the applicant’s plan to 
conduct a rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of 
activities carried out with funds under this part. 
‘‘(b) CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING APPLICATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 
grants under this part on a competitive basis, based 
on the quality of the applications submitted under 
subsection (a), including— 
‘‘(A) each applicant’s record in the areas 
described in subsection (a)(1); 
‘‘(B) each applicant’s record of, and com-
mitment to, establishing conditions for innova-
tion and reform, as described in subsection 
(a)(2); 
‘‘(C) the quality and likelihood of success 
of each applicant’s plan described in subsection 
(a)(3) in showing improvement in the areas de-
scribed in subsection (a)(1), including each ap-
plicant’s capacity to implement the plan and 
evidence of collaboration as described in sub-
section (a)(4) or (a)(5), as applicable; and 
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‘‘(D) each applicant’s evaluation plan as 
described in subsection (a)(7). 
‘‘(2) PUBLICATION
OF
EXPLANATION.—The 
Secretary shall publish an explanation of how the 
application review process will ensure an equitable 
and objective evaluation based on the criteria de-
scribed in paragraph (1). 
‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants to local edu-
cational agencies under this part, the Secretary shall give 
priority to— 
‘‘(1) local educational agencies with the highest 
numbers or percentages of children from families 
with incomes below the poverty line; and 
‘‘(2) local educational agencies that serve 
schools designated with a school locale code of 41, 
42, or 43, as determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘SEC. 6305. PERFORMANCE MEASURES. 
‘‘Each State and each local educational agency receiv-
ing a grant under this part shall establish performance 
measures and targets, approved by the Secretary, for the 
programs and activities carried out under this part. These 
measures shall, at a minimum, track the State’s or agen-
cy’s progress in— 
‘‘(1) implementing its plan described in section 
6304(a)(3); and 
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‘‘(2) improving outcomes for all subgroups de-
scribed in section 1111(b)(2)(C)(v)(II) including, as 
applicable, by— 
‘‘(A) increasing student achievement; 
‘‘(B) decreasing achievement gaps; 
‘‘(C) increasing high school graduation; 
‘‘(D) increasing college enrollment and per-
sistence rates; 
‘‘(E) improving the effectiveness of teach-
ers and school leaders, increasing the retention 
of effective teachers and school leaders, and 
promoting equity in the distribution of effective 
teachers and school leaders to ensure that low- 
income and minority children are not— 
‘‘(i) taught by ineffective teachers at 
higher rates than other children; and 
‘‘(ii) enrolled in schools led by ineffec-
tive leaders at higher rates than other chil-
dren; and 
‘‘(F) making progress on any other meas-
ures identified by the Secretary. 
‘‘SEC. 6306. USES OF FUNDS. 
‘‘(a) GRANTS TO STATES.— 
‘‘(1) SUBGRANTS.—Each State that receives a 
grant under this part shall use at least 50 percent 
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of its grant to make subgrants to those local edu-
cational agencies in the State that participate in the 
State’s plan under section 6304(a)(3), based on 
those local educational agencies’ relative shares of 
funds under part A of title I for the most recent 
year for which those data are available. 
‘‘(2) ACTIVITIES UNDER PLAN.—Each State or 
local educational agency that receives a grant or 
subgrant, respectively, under this part shall use 
those funds for any purpose included in the State’s 
plan under section 6304(a)(3). 
‘‘(b) GRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.— 
Each local educational agency that receives a grant under 
this part shall use those funds for any purpose included 
in the local educational agency’s plan under section 
6304(a)(3). 
‘‘SEC. 6307. REPORTING. 
‘‘(a) ANNUAL REPORT.—A State or local educational 
agency that receives a grant under this part shall submit 
to the Secretary, at such time and in such manner as the 
Secretary may require, an annual report including— 
‘‘(1) data on the State’s or agency’s progress in 
achieving the performance targets established under 
section 6305; 
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‘‘(2) a description of the challenges the State or 
agency has faced in implementing its program and 
how it has addressed or plans to address those chal-
lenges; and 
‘‘(3) findings from the evaluation plan as de-
scribed in section 6304(a)(7). 
‘‘(b) LOCAL REPORT.—Each local educational agency 
that receives a subgrant from a State under this part shall 
submit to the State such information as the State may 
require to complete the annual report required under sub-
section (a). 
‘‘SEC. 6308. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this part $1,350,000,000 for fiscal year 2011 and such 
sums as may be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding 
fiscal years.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) GENERAL PROVISIONS.—The table of con-
tents of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) is amended by 
striking the items relating to part C of title VI and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘PART D—GENERAL PROVISIONS 
‘‘Sec. 6401. Prohibition against Federal mandates, direction, or control. 
‘‘Sec. 6402. Rule of construction on equalized spending.’’. 
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(2) RACE TO THE TOP.—The table of contents 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) is amended by adding 
after the items relating to part B of title VI, the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘PART C—RACE TO THE TOP 
‘‘Sec. 6301. Purposes. 
‘‘Sec. 6302. Reservation of funds. 
‘‘Sec. 6303. Program authorized. 
‘‘Sec. 6304. Applications. 
‘‘Sec. 6305. Performance measures. 
‘‘Sec. 6306. Uses of funds. 
‘‘Sec. 6307. Reporting. 
‘‘Sec. 6308. Authorization of Appropriations.’’. 
Æ 
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