race to the top
Strive for first
Race to the top describes competition where participants try to outdo each other by raising standards rather than lowering them—the opposite of a race to the bottom.
The phrase gained currency from a U.S. education initiative launched in 2009, but applies broadly to any competitive dynamic that drives improvement: States engaged in a race to the top on environmental regulations.
- No Child Left Behind2001 federal education law
- competitionStruggle for supremacy
- progressMovement toward improvement
- excellenceOutstanding quality or merit
- closing the gapReducing separation or difference
achievement · incentive · Title I funding · federal grant · aspiration · advancement · funding · merit pay · innovation · performance · accountability · test scores · benchmarking · ambition · schools · education reform · state standards · improvement
- competitioncompete, competitor, contender, winner, sports
race to the toprace to the bottom
Competition through degraded standards
bottom · downward spiral · fall from grace · descent · last place
race to the topcooperation
Joint action toward shared aims
collaboration · collective action · mutual aid · solidarity · teamwork
race to the topslow and steady
Gradual but consistent
long game · patience · taking one's time · crawl · stagnation
race, races, raced, racing, racer, racers, topped, topping, topmost