Within the next few weeks, the U.S. Department of Education expects to unveil the criteria for school districts to compete for the 'Invest in What Works and Innovation' grants, created as part of the larger American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus package passed by Congress in February. Though the $650 million innovation fund is markedly smaller than the $4.35 billion Race to the Top fund for grants for states, it's nonetheless a coveted pot of money that will pit districts against one another in a contest to see which can be most creative with a relatively unrestricted slice of federal stimulus money.
Instead of asking to school's to compete, would it be better to spread the stimulus money more evenly to all school districts?