"Politics as much as policy may determine how much money New York gets from Race to the Top, noted Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform, a national group that supports reforms such as charter schools and pay-for-performance.
Allen contends that the scoring requirements have already been watered down due to political pressure. She believes the Obama administration would be hard-pressed to completely exclude a large, heavily Democratic state like New York from the grant program.
'What state you are in and how it factors into a political race has just as much to do as whether or not you're following a program's guidelines,' Allen said. 'That's the cynical part of my attitude. The purist says (Duncan) will really hold their feet to the fire.'"