Washington - The U.S. Department of Education today announced that New Jersey was one of seven states that will receive a share of the $200 million in Race to the Top Round 3 (RTT3) funds to advance targeted K-12 reforms aimed at improving student achievement. New Jersey schools will receive approximately $37.8 million to enhance data systems, raise academic standards, improve principal and teacher support and evaluation systems, and implement school interventions in underperforming schools. U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) who is a strong advocate for investing federal dollars in New Jersey public schools released the following statement:

"There is nothing more important to our long-term economic prosperity than the quality of our public schools. This funding will hopefully be used to enact commonsense reforms that engage with teachers as partners and above all else, serve our students. Effective education reform can only be achieved through cooperation and productive dialogue amongst all stakeholders including, parents, teachers, students and elected officials. I am proud to having helped secure this funding and I look forward to the positive impact it will have on New Jersey's world-class public school system."

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