Democrats for Education Reform’s update on Arizona’s Race To The Top application:

The state says it intends to file a Round 2 application, but it’s not at all clear how they plan to improve on their 40th place showing in Round 1. The Governor did sign a bill into law last week banning “ethnic studies” programs in Arizona, especially those the state deems as promoting “resentment of a particular ethnic group,” but did not provide an explanation of how that would help the state make up any of the 259.8 points reviewers deducted from the state’s application in March. One upside, though, is that it looks like the new law dictates that teachers won’t be burdened with having to explain laws passed by the state the previous month which legalized racial profiling of people with dark skin and which will require our first black President to show proof that he was born in the United States (as if) when he runs for reelection in 2012.