Charleston County School District one of 16 to win first-ever federal Race to the Top District funds

Charleston County School District is one of 16 winning applicants in the first-ever federal Race to the Top District competition, according to an announcement Tuesday from the U.S. Department of Education.

The school district was awarded a four-year, $19.4 million grant that will benefit 19 schools. The district will use the money to begin personalizing students' learning, which means making classrooms more student-centered and student-led.

About 9,500 students in Burke, Stall and St. John's high schools, and the elementary and middle schools that feed into them, will benefit from the funding.

This is the second competitive federal grant the district has landed since September. The district also won a five-year, $23.7 million Teacher Incentive Fund grant to help recruit and retain high-quality teachers and reward educators based in part on students' achievement.

“Personalized learning focuses on our students' individual learning goals and needs, and develops critical skills such as goal setting, teamwork, critical thinking, communication and creativity,” said School Superintendent Nancy McGinley. “This grant announcement coupled with the recent announcement regarding our $23.7 million Teacher Incentive Grant award, positions the district for truly remarkable success over the next few years. Students and parents should be extremely happy. This infusion of resources directly supports our Vision 2016 goals.”

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