The District of Columbia was named as a finalist this morning in the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Race to the Top contest, an Obama administration program aimed at spurring school reform through enormous financial incentives. The lengthy Race to the Top application process required the submission of a reform plan that included rigorous academic standards, data systems that measure student achievement and growth, strategies that recruit, develop, reward, and retain effective educators, and proposals for turning around failing schools. D.C.’s application was spearheaded by Deputy Mayor for Education Victor Reinoso’s office, and created in collaboration among the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent, DCPS, the State Board of Education, and local charter schools. D.C. joins 15 states also named as finalists, whittled down from 41 original applicants. The winners will be announced in April.