President Obama is gaining steam with his “Race to the Top.” The New York Times reports that less than two months after the nation’s governors and state school chiefs released their final recommendations for national education standards, 27 states have adopted them and about a dozen more are expected to follow suit in the next two weeks.

The trend comes as a bit of a surprise, given that many schools do not want to give up local control over their curriculum. But money is a big motivator; states that adopt the national standards for what students should learn in English and math each year from kindergarten through high school by Aug. 2 win points toward a share of $3.4 billion in funding to be awarded in September.

“I’m ecstatic,” said Arne Duncan, the secretary of education. “This has been the third rail of education, and the fact that you’re now seeing half the nation decide that it’s the right thing to do is a game-changer.”

But some educators are worried about having enough money to implement the new standards quickly enough. “I’m already watching the ravages of the recession cutting the muscle out of efforts to implement standards,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. “If states adopt these thoughtful new standards and don’t implement them, teachers won’t know how to meet them, yet they will be the basis on which kids are judged.”

You can learn more about Race to the Top at the White House website.