Race to the Top Winners Coming Out Monday

[tonysam]

While teachers, students, and parents come out the losers.

So it's finally here, or almost here ... The U.S. Department of Education says it will announce the lucky winners in the first round of the $4 billion Race to the Top competition on Monday.

There were 16 finalists this time around, but the department hasn't yet said how many winners to expect.

But it seems likely the number will be on the small side. Joanne Weiss, the department's Race to the Top guru, told state officials there would be plenty of money left in Round 2.

Those that don't make the cut will get feedback from the peer reviewers and are eligible to apply for the second round of grants.

Education Week

[MichiganVote]

1. This is just another round in the game called political paybacks.

[mbperrin]

2. Education isn't a race; it's not a contest. It's a process, like baking

cakes. Imagine how crazy it would sound for all the bakeries in the country to have a "race" on baking cakes, keeping on the top few and getting rid of the rest.

Pretty soon, there would be just a few cakes being made very quickly.

Remind me of the upside of that scenario.

[Reader Rabbit]

3. Sounds like those Aztec ball games where winners got sacrificed to the gods.

You're number one! Now step up to the big man with the machete.