A report on Tennessee’s use of federal stimulus funds to drive education reform says the state has garnered $255 million in additional revenue for schools, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced Thursday.
The state, on its application, claimed recovery money had been used to fund more than 3,700 education jobs from Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2009.
“With this application, Tennessee provided us with basic information on what is working in their classrooms,” Duncan said. “This data is a critical tool in helping us work together — with students, parents, teachers, administrators, community leaders and elected officials at every level — to improve education for Tennessee’s students.”
Tennessee’s application showed how the state is laying the foundation for education reform, how teachers and principals are evaluated and the number of Title I schools and their performance status, among other criteria.
Duncan said the additional funds would come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which, to date, has moved $1.57 billion to various Tennessee programs.