In Dec. 2013, the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC) received a $30 million Race to the Top grant from the US Department of Education to carry out the Appalachian Renaissance Initiative.  ARI is a collaboration between 17 school districts and numerous regional organizations all committed to putting students first, improving educational outcomes, and developing a model for rural education. The Race to the Top program is the cornerstone of President Obama’s education reform efforts, and eastern Kentucky was selected as one of only five places across the nation to receive this grant, and the only rural area. WMMT’s Sylvia Ryerson has this report from the ARI rollout event.