Race to the Top Redux

By Daniel K. Lautzenheiser

Like a basketball player who masters the crossover dribble and uses it ad nauseum, even when the effects have worn off, so is the U.S. Department of Education in announcing the newest iteration of its Race to the Top program.

To recap: Back in 2010, the department launched the original Race to the Top initiative, a $4 billion grant competition in which states competed on a variety of Obama administration-approved reforms such as turning around low-performing schools and revamping state data systems. The competition received early applause from a wide array of sectors as an innovative way to marry liberal support for increased funding for schools with conservative visions of competition. It also attracted attention from leading political pundits, including a ringing endorsement from New York Times columnist David Brooks.

Ultimately, 46 states plus the District of Columbia competed, and 12 won funding, with President Obama touting RTT in his 2011 State of the Union address as “the most meaningful reform of our public...