“Today, the Obama Administration named New York State as one of 18 states and the District of Columbia to compete for $3.4 billion in the second round of the Race to the Top competition. For the second round, the State successfully raised the cap on the number of charter schools, negotiated a new teacher evaluation system that takes the long overdue step of incorporating student achievement data, and pledged to adopt higher standards by supporting the Common Core. These reforms not only make New York’s application more competitive, but they also will help us strengthen New York City schools.

“I congratulate State Education Commissioner David Steiner, Regents Chair Merryl Tisch, Governor Paterson, and the State Assembly and Senate for making a real commitment to the bold reforms necessary to be a winner in this Race. I wish our State the best of luck in making its case to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan in the coming weeks. Of course, being a finalist is good—but it’s being a winner that matters and our State’s children would really benefit from the hundreds of millions of dollars New York stands to win.”

Statement from Chancellor Klein:

“I applaud New York for making it to the final round of the Race to the Top competition. While this is promising news – it’s not cause for celebration just yet. New York still needs to cross the finish line and win the Race, which would mean at least $200 million for New York City schools. But I am excited about our State’s chances and give enormous credit to State Education Commissioner Steiner and Regents Chair Tisch for putting together a strong application. I would also like to thank President Obama and Secretary Duncan for establishing the Race to the Top competition, which has spurred important education reform here in New York and across the Nation that will make our schools better for all students.”