GATESWATCH: 10 Districts Vie For $500M In Chicago [upd]

UPDATE:  Looks like it might be Tulsa, Memphis, Atlanta, PG County, Denver, Palm Beach FLA, Hillsboro FLA, charters (LA), and _______ (Pittsburgh?)

We haven't been hearing much from the Gates Foundation of late and that's just the way they like it.  (They're like the Apple folks before the latest iPhone release.)  But everyone who's anyone is headed to Chicago this week for the big Gates Foundation teacher quality confab, which will likely include an appearance by Arne Duncan (who's already scheduled to be in town for another event). 

You can bet that TNTP, NTC, Green Dot, and other Gates faves will be there.  Prolly the AFT, too -- they're all frenemies now.  But the folks with the most at stake are the teams from 10 urban districts who are finalists in the Foundation's $500 million teacher quality initiative that was announced in November.  Just four or five will be selected this summer, down from the original 30 at the start.  Among the finalists are Tulsa and Memphis and Nashville -- I'm still working to track down the full and official list. [See comments]

Anyway, here's the Vision Statement for the event: PDF. Be nice and link here rather than pilfering it for your own site. Click below for a collection of related posts and links.

Memphis City Schools rally aid toward Gates grant Memphis Commercial Appeal
District chosen to seek Gates Foundation grant Tulsa World
Gates' New Approach Gets Good Reviews EdWeek
Gates' 2009 Letter Focuses on Teachers Teacher Beat
Broad, Gates To Fund "Union-Led Innovation Effort" TWIE
A Magic Bill Gates Spray Can TWIE

Comments

[brett]

Check Pittsburgh as the fourth city. I thought they made the cut.

[alexander]

thanks, brett --
someone told me that chicago is NOT involved, which if true is funny since
they're meeting there, duncan is from there, etc.
-- alexander

[alexander]

six more from a usually reliable source:

pg county (duh!)
hillsborough fla
denver
atlanta
charter consortium (LA)
palm beach

[Alexander Russo]

Memphis school district a finalist for Gates Foundation money
http://m.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/apr/24/memphis-school-district-finalist-gates-foundation-/

Atlanta; Tulsa, Okla.; Prince George's County, Md.; Denver; Palm Beach, Fla.; Hillsboro, Fla.; and a consortium of charter schools from Los Angeles,

[Alexander Russo]

omaha might be the 10th