Forty states are seeking federal school funding through a competitive Obama administration program that has prompted educational changes as well as resistance in much of the country.
States have spent months, and in some cases millions of dollars in consulting fees, preparing applications for the first round of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top program, due Tuesday.
The initiative has generated stiff competition among states eager to prove their bona fides as education reformers in a scramble for federal cash. Administration officials promise to award grants worth up to $700 million to states that show the greatest willingness to push innovation and implement tough testing standards in local schools.
The program has met resistance in some quarters. In Florida, eight of the state's 67 counties declined to sign on to the state's application, citing disagreements with the federal policy. Hundreds of districts in California also declined to go along.
Teachers unions in some states, such as Michigan and Minnesota, have urged members to oppose their states' bids. Unity among a state's educators and unions is one of the criteria administration officials will use to grade requests for funding.
