Despite the passage of educational reforms intended to bolster Connecticut’s Race to the Top application, Connecticut was not among the 19 finalists for the federal competitive grant program announcedon Tuesday, July 27, 2010. Connecticut has therefore been eliminated from Phase II — the final Phase — of the program. Connecticut’s unsuccessful application sought approximately $175 million in federal funding. As was the case during Phase I of the program, each state that borders Connecticut was named a finalist for the grants. The remaining 19 finalists will compete for $3.4 billion in federal funding.