Today, the Obama administration named 18 states and the District of Columbia as finalists in the Race to the Top grant competition. Washington was not among them.

Though Washington leaders will not know how the state scored on Race to the Top until September, the message is clear: Our state has a long way to go to ensure the success of every student and our state’s “business as usual” approach simply doesn’t meet the high bar for reform set by the federal government.

Despite this setback, Washington cannot stand still. Instead, the state must redouble its efforts to put in place policies and programs that will raise student achievement and close Washington’s growing achievement gap. Now is not the time to shelve the good work that went into our state’s Race to the Top application. Washington leaders must press onward and use the significant district and union support they were able to gather for the application to drive real reforms that produce real results for our students.

To learn more about the Race to the Top Finalist Announcement and what Washington can do to improve its chances of winning future federal dollars, check out our current enewsletter.

To view Washington’s reaction to the Race to the Top finalist announcement, visit Gov. Gregoire’s website.