Race to the Top is a competitive federal grant program, offering one-time money to state education systems. In Texas, it became a flashpoint for states' rights issues when Gov. Rick Perry chose not to apply to the program.
The U.S. Department of Education built the program as a type of education stimulus — $4.35 billion worth of grants to be divvied up amongst winning states. Larger states could apply for more money; the biggest grants stand at $700 million. According to the federal website, the grants focus on reform in at least one of four areas:
- "Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;
- Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction;
- Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and
- Turning around our lowest-achieving schools."
The program became contentious as the Department of Education chose to place emphasis on states' previous efforts to create a nationwide, standard core curriculum. Texas (along with Alaska) were the only states that did not sign on initiative. Not participating would have cost Texas at least 40 points, and some estimated it would cost as many as 70.
The debate in Texas soon became one of federal power versus states' rights. Perry and his appointee, Education Commissioner Robert Scott, both spoke out against the common standards — Scott went so far as to call them “a step toward a federal takeover of the nation’s public schools.”
The governor also argued that changing the standards would cost far more than the $700 million in potential grant money. The application did not require Texas to adopt national standards, despite docking points for non-compliance.
Texas was ultimately one of ten states that did not apply. By the time Perry announced that Texas would not participate, the Texas Education Agency had spent abour 800 hours on the application.
After the announcement, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan argued that the standards were not mandatory and there was no reason not to apply for the grants.
