Forty states are seeking federal school funding through a competitive Obama administration program that has prompted educational changes as well as resistance in much of the country.
President Barack Obama calls for additional funding for "Race to the Top," his key initiative to improve public schools. Video courtesy of Fox News.
States have spent months, and in some cases millions of dollars in consulting fees, preparing applications for the first round of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top program, due Tuesday.
The initiative has generated stiff competition among states eager to prove their bona fides as education reformers in a scramble for federal cash. Administration officials promise to award grants worth up to $700 million to states that show the greatest willingness to push innovation and implement tough testing standards in local schools.
The program has met resistance in some quarters. In Florida, eight of the state's 67 counties declined to sign on to the state's application, citing disagreements with the federal policy. Hundreds of districts in California also declined to go along.
- popular with the Chinese authorities . Still, Google.cn wasn't that much better, and my Chinese friend said many of her friends in China prefer Baidu. What
- really struck me was how limited were the results on both Baidu and Google.cn. Out of curiosity, I ran the same searches on the standard English-language
- Google, and got an avalanche of useful results. For Tibet, one of the top ranked results was Tibet.net, which is the official site of the Tibetan government
- in exile . That didn't show up on either Baidu or Google.cn.
- Politics aside , English-language Google had many more opportunities for shopping and travel—for spending money—than did either of the Chinese sites.
- No wonder that, according to my Chinese friend, she rarely uses either Chinese search engine, preferring the English language Google.
In New York, the program has sparked a stiff political fight over charter schools that could jeopardize the state's chances. Charter schools are publicly funded but privately run, often by nonunion staff.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry last week at a Houston news conference, where he said the state wouldn't seek funds.
New York lawmakers on Tuesday failed to agree on legislation that would allow an expansion of charter schools beyond the current statewide limit of 200. Despite the complications, New York submitted its application for the first round of funding.
In Texas, Gov. Rick Perry last week blasted the program as a "federal takeover," and said his state would not participate.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan warned that only the best applications would receive funds. "There are going to be a lot more losers than winners," he told reporters Tuesday.
In recent months, Obama officials have been pleased that the mere promise of significant aid under the program has prompted 11 states to change rules on issues ranging from teacher evaluation to charter schools.
President Barack Obama is now seeking an extra $1.35 billion to continue the program next year. If approved by Congress, the extra money would also allow individual districts to compete for funds.
The Race to the Top program
DVD Ripper has sparked nationwide debate, while prodding the nation's powerful teachers unions to budge on key points. The American Federation of Teachers, the second-largest teachers union, last week proposed new ways to evaluate teacher performance and to fire instructors who don't perform—steps the unions have resisted for years.
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