The $4.35 million Race to the Top competition was designed to encourage states to develop innovative education reform plans. Last Monday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that two states, Delaware and Tennessee, had beaten out 38 states and the District of Columbia in the first phase of the competition. The announcement, both the small number of winners and the states that failed to win (Florida and Louisiana were widely considered to have the most ambitious plans) came as a surprise to many in the education world.
Mr. Duncan made no bones about the fact that buy-in from all the stakeholders, most notably the teachers unions, was determinative. So the competition was more about union empowerment than meaningful education reform. You can’t have both.
Now that the states know the rules – - no reforms bold enough to threaten their unions – - they no doubt will write their proposals accordingly in the next phase of the competition.
Incidentally, both prize-winning states have Democratic governors. I’m just saying…
Amy H Laff is a StateBrief.com partner. A graduate of Univ of Penn and Stanford Law School, Amy practiced law and mediation on the east coast before relocating to the Valley, where she founded and chairs the AZ chapter of the Republican Jewish Coalition. Amy makes frequent media appearances, including AZ Law Channel and Tony Katz Radio Spectacular. Additionally, she works with companies and candidates on branding and communication. 
What a pathetic situation for this country’s youth!Our educational standards have been going down for many years for a variety of reasons, but to put the priorities of teachers’ unions before any other innovative programs that may benefit the total school population will only ensure more falling/failing test scores. Our future is doomed!!