A week ago, state officials were all set to abandon thoughts of re-applying to the Race to the Top. They’d been discouraged by California’s 27^th place, out of 40 states, in the first round competition for federal dollars, and  there’s not much time before the June 1 submission deadline.

But then, over the weekend, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan personally called Gov. Schwarzenegger to ask California to stay in the running, according to two individuals in the know. And so top state officials – Education Secretary Bonnie Reiss, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell and members of the state Board of Education – are once again thinking it through.

They haven’t made a final decision;  states must let the feds know if they plan to apply by Tuesday. But what they have agreed on is to take a very different approach.

Instead of revising the state plan and then pitching it again to every district and union local, California would limit its application to a handful of forward-thinking urban districts with predominately minority, low-income students: Long Beach, Fresno, Los Angeles Unified, and perhaps a few others willing to commit to stronger reforms than in the first round.

The state would make the case that the three to six participating districts, with upward of 850,000 students, are still larger than most states, and would set an example for other California districts. (I made a similar argument two weeks ago. )

California’s application would still be a long shot – and, without each local union president’s signature on the MOU, probably a no shot. The state would still have to leap-frog over a dozen states to be in the running, and overcome basic flaws with the state’s application, such as a troubled statewide student data system that’s years behind other states. It’s also unclear how the state could compensate for a scoring system that favors participation of a majority of districts.

But the state could pick up substantial points by submitting a stronger STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education plan and by strengthening the plan for  teacher development  and the equitable distribution of effective teachers in poor schools. Districts and unions would have to agree to revise teacher and principal evaluations, taking into consideration student test scores (to what extent would be up to each district). The Legislature could help by extending the probation period for new teachers and by waiving seniority rights for layoffs and transfers – at least for those districts that submit to Race to the Top. Gov. Schwarzenegger has already proposed a bill with some of these changes.

A Los Angeles Unified task force of parents, teachers and administrators, chaired by State Board of Education Ted Mitchell, has proposed evaluation, tenure and seniority reforms, but the union president, A.J. Duffy, has vowed to fight many of the ideas. Opposition by United Teachers Los Angeles would hurt a second round Race to the Top application.

Re-applying would score brownie points, if not actual Race to the Top points, with Arne Duncan, who’s worried that states will withdraw from the competition, jeopardizing congressional support for President Obama’s initiatives, including the adoption of common core standards and uniform assessments.

Indiana, Kansas and Vermont already have pulled out, and Texas and Alaska didn’t apply in the first round. Unions in other states are pressing districts to denounce Race to the Top.

Schwarzenegger is also being lobbied behind the scenes to keep the state’s academic standards and to reject the proposed common-core standards. A decision to reapply for Race to the Top would signal the state is committed to adopt them. That dilemma may  factor in  the Race to the Top decision in the next few days.

By John Fensterwald on April 29th, 2010