And if nothing changes, it could cost students in every borough hundreds of millions of dollars in federal Race to the Top funds.

New York State took this approach to overhauling its evaluation system when it applied for federal Race to the Top funding.

The state agreed to institute a teacher evaluation system as part of the terms for the $700 million it was awarded in federal Race to the Top aid.

Thanks to the state's top-ranked federal Race to the Top plan, Delaware already has initiatives in place to meet the first, third and fourth principles.

The district has been identified as a turnaround school district for the federal Race to the Top competitive grant.

On states' efforts to change rules and laws to be eligible for federal Race to the Top money:

Also in 2009, the federal Race to the Top $4.35 billion incentive program was announced.

New York already won a $700 million federal Race to the Top grant last year.

Failure to do so threatens $700 million in federal Race to the Top grants.

District officials did not apply for the federal Race to the Top grant which would have provided additional federal funding to improve student academic achievement.