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Race to Top Hopefuls Seek to Crack 'Buy-In' Puzzle

Hopefuls Work to Balance Support of Districts, Unions Without Diluting Proposals

In the round-two scramble for $3.4 billion in federal Race to the Top Fund grants, the need for school district and union buy-in—a relatively small, but crucial part of any winning formula—poses a policy puzzle for the competing states.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who in past statements has emphasized the importance of such support, has recently made it clear that a watered-down Race to the Top application won’t win on the strength of significant school district and union backing.

And figuring out just how much buy-in matters in the 500-point scoring system is...