Iowa would tie teacher evaluations to student test scores and expand charter schools as part of a school reform effort announced Thursday by Gov. Chet Culver.

??The previously unpopular strategies are being revisited now that state officials want to compete for a piece of President Barack Obama's $4 billion grant program for states that adopt key reforms.

Iowa is eligible for up to $175 million.??"One thing is for certain: Iowa's school system will not look the same a year from now as it does today," Culver said at an Iowa Association of School Boards convention Thursday.??

Culver offered no details, but strings are attached to money from the federal Race to the Top fund. To qualify, states must vow to tie teacher evaluations to test scores, adopt tougher standards, turn around troubled schools, build long-term student tracking systems and lift legal caps on charter schools.

The federal program's guidelines were announced last week. Some states took action earlier this year to position themselves for the grant money; others are scrambling to change laws and policies before the first checks are written.?