Gov. Nathan Deal told state school board members Thursday that he believes Georgia is “on the cusp of great things” in education with Race to the Top and the move to common core standards.
With its $400 million Race to the Top grant, the state will be able to invest in education in ways it could otherwise not afford and its 26 local school district partners can develop innovations that, if proven successful, can be replicated statewide, Deal said.
The governor, making a brief appearance at a one-day board retreat at Georgia Tech, acknowledged that with the grant money comes the difficult task of finding and implementing a system that compensates teachers based on results.
"It is going to be the challenge of [this] board to implement that," he said.
Georgia, 10 other states and the District of Columbia last year were awarded Race to the Top grants, which required them to commit to implementing merit pay plans for teachers in the participating local districts. Those districts will divide $200 million, and the rest of the money stays with the state.
The 10 most recent award winners -- including Georgia -- adopted the common core standards, which are designed to provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn in English and math at their grade level so teachers and parents know how to help them.
The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to college- and career-bound students. Forty-two states have adopted them.
Deal told the board that its adoption of those standards was "a significant step in the right direction" that will provide a "kind of cohesive opportunity to measure objectively where we are within our borders and with other states."
Deal's appearance at the state board retreat coincided with the state House vote on a Senate version of the governor's plans for reforms designed to ensure the long-term viability of the popular HOPE scholarship program.
The governor told school board members that they will play a part in helping HOPE scholars, who will be facing more rigorous high school courses, such as advanced classes in math, science and foreign languages.
The increased rigor of the courses, Deal said, will ensure that recipients of the scholarship have a "legitmate 3.0″ grade-point average.
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