Md. releases 'Race to the Top' application

Maryland has unveiled its draft application for a federal education grant program that could net the state hundreds of millions of dollars.

The proposal would tie teacher evaluations to student performance, would lengthen teacher probation to three years and would bolster graduation requirements in math and science, among other proposals. The state could win up to $250 million, and a bill to help strengthen the application passed the Maryland legislature Monday night.

But education advocates question Maryland's chances to win money in the Race to the Top program. Just two states, Delaware and Tennessee, won money in the initial round, and they had proposals that involved more extensive change than in Maryland. Maryland educators have argued that the state's well-regarded schools make drastic change less necessary.

The application must be submitted to the Education Department by June 1.

-- Michael Birnbaum