LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:
Hawaii's public schools received a windfall last year when the state won a $75 million federal grant. The state was one of 12 winners in a high-profile competition called Race to the Top, the signature education initiative of the Obama administration.
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Now, Hawaii could lose that money. The Department of Education is calling Hawaii's performance under the grant unsatisfactory. In a letter to Hawaii's governor, it said the state is now on high-risk status.
WERTHEIMER: This is a first for a winner of the Race to the Top program. In its proposal, Hawaii submitted a detailed plan to improve low-performing schools.
MONTAGNE: It also promised to launch a new teacher evaluation system tied to performance. Feds say the state is behind in implementing many aspects of the plan.
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