HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania has been awarded $41,326,299 under the federally-funded "Race to the Top" grant program. The funding will be used to supplement the state's support of student-specific educational choices in grades K-12, and the current efforts to increase the number of outstanding teachers working in Pennsylvania classrooms.

"I know, from my time spent as a teacher and with my own two children, that a one-size-fits-all approach to education does not create a successful learning environment," Governor Tom Corbett said. "Our students need quality options that fit their academic abilities and their aspirations for the future. We must have educators who are prepared and capable of meeting the needs of our diverse student population."

Pennsylvania joins 22 other states that have received Race to the Top grants. The grant will be allocated over the next four years by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

A significant focus of this grant will be used for the statewide implementation of a new teacher evaluation, which is currently being piloted in more than 100 school districts, charter schools, career and technical centers, and intermediate units. It will also provide the necessary means to develop a new principal evaluation, which is planned to be piloted during the 2012-13 school year.

"The focus of our grant application is to improve public education for every student," Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis said. "The funds awarded to Pennsylvania will support the work already being done by Governor Corbett and the department to ensure that, regardless of ZIP code or socioeconomic status, every child receives an education that provides them with the opportunity to be successful."