Finish Line

Whew. The Race is over.

Thanks to the Legislature’s action to pass a series of reforms, including lift the statewide cap on charter schools, New York overcame its first-round stumbles and is among the ten winners of Round 2 of Race to the Top.

That $700 million you’ve heard so much about? Arne Duncan’s reaching for his check book. (Okay, credit card.)

The money will fund stronger tests and curricula, new data systems, improved teacher trainings, and school turnaround projectsóplus an easing of the budget crunch for schools and districts. (See GothamSchools’ handy overview here.)