Maybe all this is of interest only to education insiders but there's more today on Washington state's potential for scoring more education stimulus money from the Obama Administration.

In addition to the cash already doled out, the administration set aside $5.3 billion worth of carrots to states that start reforming their schools. The feds want new data systems to measure student progress, systems to make sure each classroom has a competent teacher trained in the subject matter, adoption of high standards and a plan to turn around the lowest performing schools. Obama also wants states to offer charter schools as an option to traditional schools.

A complex set of application criteria is coming out of Washington, D.C. and education officials are trying gauge whether their states will make the cut.

Gov. Chris Gregoire said earlier in the summer that Washington hasn't done enough yet to be eligible. While passage of House Bill 2261 was a good start, much of the reform work is yet to be done.

Then the League of Education Voters issued a report saying the state has done plenty toward reforms and should apply. That caused state Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn to issue a statement saying that he has always intended to apply for money.

Here's his statement:

From: Randy I. Dorn, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Re: Race to the Top money

A recent editorial by The Everett Herald as well as a report by the League of Education Voters might have created some confusion that I want to clear up.

Washington will be applying for Race to the Top money.
The exact requirements needed to receive the money have yet to be announced. But, as I’ve said many times before, we are confident about our chances based on what we’ve heard from the U.S. Department of Education.

While Washington voters have said no to charter schools, this state features many schools that are similar to the charter school philosophy, such as Aviation High School in Des Moines and the Tacoma School of The Arts. We have a system in National Board Certification that is more popular every year and rewards teachers for additional work. Our new data system tracks students by year and by class, our standards are top-notch and our assessment system is one just a dozen fully approved by the federal government.

Second, there is no penalty for applying. We’ve been told that all applications will be reviewed carefully, and applicants will be informed of where they fell short if they don’t receive money in the first round.

The application is due in the fall. When we have more details, we’ll make them available to you.