One way the Education Department is trying to persuade states is with money. States are competing to share in almost three and a half billion dollars as part of a school reform competition. They will earn extra points in the Race to the Top if they approve the standards by August second.

States are trying to recover from the recession. There are concerns that some could accept the standards and then lack the money to follow them.

The final standards were released June second. A new report say about half the states have approved them already.

The Thomas B. Fordham Institute is an education group in Washington. It says the standards are clearer and stronger than those used in three-fourths of the states. But the comparison also found that existing English standards are "clearly stronger" in California, Indiana and the District of Columbia.

States that approve the new standards have a right to add up to fifteen percent of their own.

In California, the State Board of Education plans to vote on August second to accept or reject a new set of standards. These are based largely on the common core, but also existing California standards.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Avi Arditti. I'm Bob Doughty.