CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / PASADENA

Joanne Weiss on Tuesday was named the leader of the nearly $4.4-billion “Race to the Top” fund, a federal effort to reform the nation’s schools.

The announcement was made by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan in remarks delivered via videoconference at the annual NewSchools Venture Fund Summit.

Weiss is a partner in and chief operating officer of the NewSchools Venture Fund, a nonprofit that invests in efforts to turn around underperforming schools. Weiss, who has a degree in biochemistry from Princeton University, is also on the board of directors of Green Dot Public Schools, which operates 10 charter schools in Southern California and this year took over Locke High, which it divided into several small schools.

In her new role, she will lead the development of the Race to the Top fund, which will offer competitive grants to states in 2009 and 2010 aimed at improving student achievement. The fund is part of the $100 billion in education spending included in the economic stimulus package passed by Congress earlier this year.

-- Seema Mehta