In politics, it's popular for candidates and incumbents to say that education is their top priority. A favorite catchphrase is "Children First." The problem is that it's remained just that. A catchphrase. A slogan. An empty promise. Time and time again, we as politicians have shown that we're willing to put aside what is in the best interests of children for political expediency.

We have the opportunity to change that dynamic in California with the special session called by the governor. This is an excellent test to see if politicians are ready to truly put children first. How? It's easy.

Through an initiative called Race to the Top, the Obama administration is infusing nearly $5 billion into education. Typically, when the federal government invests in education, it does so through formula funding. The government has determined to do it differently with Race to the Top. This is a competition. All states can vie for the funds, but only a handful will win. Only the states that are willing to push the envelope on the most aggressive reforms will be awarded money.

The name says it all. It's referring to the fact that over the last 20 years, with the dwindling quality of public education and the lowering of standards and expectations, it's been a race to the bottom in American education. The administration seeks to reverse this trend by creating financial incentives for states and districts to strive for the best.

Great, right? Not so fast. President Barack Obama has said that states that prohibit the use of student data in teacher evaluation will be barred from competing for the funds. Now, state policy in California prohibits the use of student level data to evaluate teachers. We have the capacity to look at the achievement growth of children to determine who our most effective and ineffective teachers are, but we are barred from doing so.

The policy is counterintuitive and allows teachers to operate without accountability. For that reason, we should be fighting against it. However, there's a more pressing issue at hand – money.

Right now, we can't turn in a Race to the Top application because of this policy. Let me be clear, there's lot of money that's at stake. California could be eligible for up to $500 million that could go to the classroom.

So how do we compete? First, we have to repeal the policy. Next, we have to be willing to do things we've never done before. We have to align ourselves toward a common vision for educational excellence. Specifically, the Obama administration has outlined a few key priorities:

• Adopt a set of core national standards.

• Develop a capacity for states and districts to use student achievement data.

• Ensure that there are highly qualified teachers and principals in every school.

• Close failing schools.

Additionally, he's called for districts and states to be friendly to charter schools and ensure they have equal funding. This is a tall order for Sacramento and for cities across the state. Traditionally, California has not given charter schools fair and equitable funding. We have yet to enact a cohesive strategy to quickly improve our worst-performing schools. There's a lot of resistance to the concept of adopting a national test and national standards.

It's easy to look at the current state of affairs and feel disheartened. However, at this time, I feel hope. The words that Rahm Emanuel delivered to the U.S. Conference of Mayors ring in my head, "Never let a serious crisis go to waste." In the midst of this crisis in our state, we also have a huge opportunity. Race to the Top is that opportunity. It's the chance to address the severe funding shortage and, more importantly, to use the leverage of unprecedented federal dollars to enact important reforms. These reforms are ones that challenge the status quo, but ones that are desperately needed to improve the learning outcomes for kids.

Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be visiting Sacramento as the guest at my education town hall meeting and will be addressing state legislators. He'll be pushing our elected leaders to be aggressive about education reform and to compete for the Race to the Top dollars.

The governor vowed that we would compete for every stimulus dollar available, and this special session could make that a reality. Don't underestimate the stress legislators will feel, though, to cave to tired arguments like "we'll start teaching to the test" and "teachers can't be measured on test scores alone." Those concerns can be addressed. However, our share of $5 billion can't as easily be found. If the legislators that you and I voted into office can see fit to look beyond special interests and political pressure to repeal this law and push real reforms, then we're in the game.

Like I said – easy, right? Children first? We'll see …

Kevin Johnson is the mayor of Sacramento.