Race to the top is Obamas Administration’s education plan that ties teacher performance and teacher evaluation to student achievement. This means teachers are being evaluated based on the test scored their students receive. Because of this, teachers have been fired. “If they’re not doing well, they would go through a mediation plan,” said Superintendent Dr. Kevin Settle, from Mt. Vernon District 80 City Schools. “They may be dismissed. If the kids are not doing well, there’s a direct effect on their employment.” This way the teachers that work hard to keep their students on their toes working will continue to persue their career as a teacher. The ones that let their students slack off and don’t put in the effort that the hard working teachers do, they will get what they deserve.

Race to the Top is almost like a contest in the sense that there are rounds, certain things that schools and teachers are judged on and of course the big prize of 4.35 billion dollars. The schools are judged on state success factors, standards and assessments, data systems to support instructions, great teachers and leaders, turning around low-performing schools, general requirements, and emphasis on STEM. The “prize” of the money will be rewarded to the schools that strive in the listed qualities.

In certain states in America, a large percentage of the students end up dropping out of school at a young age and ending up in prison. Charter schools are schools that have fewer students so more individual attention can be provided to the students. "This administration is not looking to open unregulated and unaccountable schools. We want real autonomy for charters combined with a rigorous authorization process and high performance standards." - Education Secretary Arne Duncan. This could solve the problem of the high criminal rates, but it’s hard to maintain these schools because of high costs. With Race to the Top, as long as the teachers are doing a good job with the students they will receive the money they need to keep their schools running. This is a benefit of the plan.

Many schools also have a large percentage of the students failing their entire education. When the teachers are more certified for students, fewer students will fail, resulting in more students attending college. Some teachers have complained because their students receive lower test grades due to the fact of having learning disabilities or being more troubled. Students with learning disabilities are one of the reasons Race to the Top even started. It helps address their needs in not just core subjects, but subjects like art and music as well.