A WSJ editorial was more critical:

After announcing the Race to the Top contest last summer, the Administration said repeatedly that it would reward states that encourage the creation and expansion of charter schools. So it's disappointing that charters weren't even mentioned in Mr. Duncan's prepared statement and that the two winning states have some of the country's weaker charter laws.

States that refuse to cross the teachers unions are unlikely to produce significant education reforms for the simple fact that collective bargaining contracts are the biggest barrier to change. It's not surprising that unions and school boards opposed Race to the Top applications in places like Florida and Louisiana. The reforms being pushed in those states—teacher accountability, school choice—are transformative. By giving unions and school boards such a huge sway over grant money, the Administration is saying that union buy-in matters as much or more than the nature of the reforms.

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