Baton Rouge, La. - Louisiana is among the finalists for the first round of the federal $4.35 billion Race to the Top (R2T) grant program. The list of states, released by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) today, identifies 16 finalists from the initial pool of 41 applicants.

The competitive R2T grant is designed to encourage states to pursue education reform initiatives. The next step for Louisiana and the other finalists is an interview that will take place in Washington during the week of March 15. Finalists will be asked to clarify the information presented in their applications for grant reviewers. State leaders say they are very pleased to be among the finalists.