DSC Fact Sheet (pdf)

The U.S. Department of Education released the state application for the Race to the Top Fund in November 2009, a $4.35 billion dollar competitive grant program created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funding. 



In response to recommendations from the Dignity in Schools Campaign and other advocates around the country, the final application guidelines include new language encouraging states to support schools in "implementing approaches to improve school climate and discipline, such as implementing a system of positive behavioral supports (PBS)," and to develop data systems that track school climate programs and discipline (see the summary of Major Changes and find more information on Race to the Top).



The attention that Race to the Top pays to school discipline and climate can provide great leverage for state-level advocacy efforts to:

Expand training capacity at the state-level for schools and districts to improve school climate (e.g., PBS, restorative practices),


Push for implementation of approaches like PBS and restorative practices in underperforming schools, and


Collect better state- and district-level data on school discipline and tie it to student and teacher performance.