Maine made the June 1 deadline to apply for up to $75 million in the second round of Race to the Top. Some $3.4 billion remains to be doled out from the fund that started at $4.35 billion. Maine will be competing against 34 other states and Washington, D.C.

Among that group of competitors are 14 of the 16 finalists from the competition's first round: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Washington, D.C.

The only two finalists that didn't reapply? Delaware and Tennessee, which won $100 million and $500 million respectively in Race to the Top's first round. There were, however, nine other states that chose not to apply again for the funds after applying in the first round, the Associated Press reported.

As the June 1 deadline approached, the Center for Education Reform issued the "Race to the Top Reality Check" (PDF warning), singling out state applications from Race to the Top's first round that used hyperbole and choice, eloquent phrases.

While I haven't yet thoroughly combed through Maine's Race to the Top application, here are some choice phrases that jumped out at me. I'm not implying they embellish the truth. They're simply examples of language usage worth noting.

•"No longer restricted by time or place, Maine students and their educators are engaged in anytime, anywhere learning." (Narrative, p. 20)

• "Each student has a place in our data system wherein their personal journey of growth and progress is honored, recorded and adds value to their life goals." (Narrative, p. 21)

• "Systems of learning support are tiered and weave together the resources of the state, school, home, and community to provide a full array of services that follow the learner." (Narrative, p. 24)

• "Lessons learned from our long history of reform suggest that to enact significant reform and lasting change, all educational stakeholders must work together. ... [W]orking with its educational stakeholders, including communities, parent groups, unions and professional associations, Maine will implement human capital development and evaluation systems that are also performance-based, informed by and driven by student outcome data." This is an example of portraying a set of circumstances not initially envisioned by the Department of Education -- rather, by the Maine Education Association -- in the best light possible. (Narrative, p. 26)

• "School districts across the state understand the state's framework for transforming education in Maine to ensure the success of all students and want to be at the forefront of innovation and bring as many opportunities for success to their students as possible." Here's a look at what the department means by "school districts across the state."(Narrative, p. 27)

Feel free to send in additional phrases I might not have gotten to yet, or leave them below as comments. My email address is mstone @ centralmaine.com.

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