Across the country, U.S. states are embracing voluntary national standards for English and math, and schools are paying teachers based on student performance. The movement is driven in part by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which over the past 2.5 years has pledged more than $650 million to schools, public agencies, and other groups that buy into its main education priorities. Currently, the largest awards are focused on teacher evaluation and performance pay. Since January 2008, more than 250 Gates grants have targeted causes such as charter schools, testing research, data systems, science and math education, and common academic standards.Source: The Washington Post