Good quote

“The race starts today. I'm issuing a challenge to our nation's governors, to school boards, principals, and teachers, to businesses and non-for-profits, to parents and students: if you set and enforce rigorous and challenging standards and assessments, if you put outstanding teachers at the front of the classroom, if you turn around failing schools, your state can win a Race to the Top grant that will not only help students outcompete workers around the world but let them fulfill their God-given potential. This competition will not be based on politics or ideology or the preferences of a particular interest group. Instead, it will be based on a simple principle -- whether a state is ready to do what works. We will use the best evidence available to determine whether a state can meet a few key benchmarks for reform, and states that outperform the rest will be rewarded with a grant. Not every state will win, and not every school district will be happy with the results, but America's children, America's economy, and America itself will be better for it.”


- President Barack Obama (7/24/09), announcing Race to the Top at the Department of Education