Where the money goes: UPDATED

(I see that I've used similar titles before. Well, there's two things to follow: where the money comes from and where it goes!)

The New York Times cover story on Education Secretary Arne Duncan's powers under the stimulus bill is eye-opening:

Most of Mr. Duncan’s unusual power would come in disbursing a $54 billion stabilization fund intended to prevent public sector layoffs, mostly in schools. The bill sets aside $5 billion of that to reward states, districts and schools for setting high standards and narrowing achievement gaps between poor and affluent students. The law lets Mr. Duncan decide which states deserve awards and which programs merit special financing.
...Programs that tie teacher pay to classroom performance will most likely receive money, as will other approaches intended to raise teacher quality, including training efforts that pair novice instructors with veteran mentors, and after-school and weekend tutoring programs.

Between this and the questions over how the "shovel ready" money will be spent at the state level, there's a lot up for grabs here.

UPDATE: And here's the Christian Science Monitor making much the same point.