Race to the Top team to arrive in Hawaii next week

The Hawaii State Department of Education will attempt to highlight various accomplishments when federal officials visit to examine the state’s Race to the Top progress.

The U.S. Department of Education review team will visit Hawaii Tuesday through Friday next week to conduct a fiscal review and reassess the "high-risk" status of a $75 million grant the department warned could be taken away because of unsatisfactory progress on promised reforms.

Among the highlights state education officials plan to show off include last month’s teacher union agreement for schools in zones targeted by reforms. The teachers in those schools ratified an agreement for extended learning time and additional professional development days.

However, a lack of a formalized union agreement continues to present challenges for the state in delivering on reforms.