According to a report from the Center for Education Reform, no state in 2009 made enough progress to significantly move its score in the 11th annual ranking of state charter school laws.

The Obama administration is starting to review state applications for federal education funds in the ‘Race to the Top’ competition.

Through Race to the Top, the U.S. Department of Education is asking states to advance reforms around four areas:

• Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;
• Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction;
• Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and
• Turning around our lowest-achieving schools.

Awards in Race to the Top will go to states that are leading the way with ambitious and achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive education reform, according to the federal Web site.

But according to the Center for Education Reform, most states still have significant deficiencies in their charter laws—despite the highly publicized ‘Race to the Top’ competition that promises to distribute $4.3 billion in extra education funding for reform-oriented states.

“Despite repeated assurances that policymakers would meet the demands of parents and improve their laws, states simply haven’t lived up to their own rhetoric,” said Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform (CER).”Perhaps they don’t know how to compete in the race. This report is a roadmap to the top,”

Fewer than half of the 40 state charter laws yield high grades, while 16 states are barely passing.

The Center for Education Reform will reveal the results of its 2010 Charter School Law Rankings and Scorecard on Dec. 8th along with detailed state-by-state analysis.