The US Department of Education announced on February 9, 2012, it has given ten states, that have agreed to implement bold reforms around standards and accountability, waivers of flexibility from the mandates of the federal education law known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). In exchange for this flexibility, these ten states have agreed to raise standards, improve accountability, and undertake essential reforms to improve teacher effectiveness.
Which states will lead in this process of meaningful reform?
Ten of eleven states that applied for waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act have received the flexibility waivers. One of them, New Mexico, has not yet been granted the waiver, but the administration is continuing to work closely with New Mexico.
The states with waivers awarded in a February 9, 2012, announcement are the following:
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- New Jersey
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
The administration's decision to provide waivers followed extensive efforts to work with Congress to rewrite NCLB. In March 2010, the administration submitted a "blueprint for reform" to Congress and has met extensively with Republican and Democratic legislators. Information about and a copy of a “Blueprint for Reform: The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act” is available for PDF download, with registration or fee, on the USDOE website.
President indicates nation cannot wait longer for meaningful reform
When making the announcement of the ten states waiver, President Barack Obama indicated, "After waiting far too long for Congress to reform No Child Left Behind, my Administration is giving states the opportunity to set higher, more honest standards in exchange for more flexibility. Today, we're giving 10 states the green light to continue making reforms that are best for them. Because if we're serious about helping our children reach their potential, the best ideas aren't going to come from Washington alone. Our job is to harness those ideas, and to hold states and schools accountable for making them work."
The President indicated that NCLB, which is five years overdue for a rewrite, is driving the wrong behaviors, from teaching to the test to federally determined, one-size-fits-all interventions. The President indicates he will call on Congress to work across the aisle to fix the law even as his administration offers solutions for states to help prepare all students for college and career readiness.
US Secretary of Education indicates strong reform demands flexibility
Education Secretary Arne Duncan indicated, "Rather than dictating educational decisions from Washington, we want state and local educators to decide how to best meet the individual needs of students.” He expressed that current law drives down standards, weakens accountability, causes narrowing of the curriculum and labels too many schools as failing. Moreover, the law mandates unworkable remedies at the federal level instead of allowing local educators to make spending decisions.
States set reform-based targets and accountability systems
States receiving waivers no longer have to meet 2014 targets set by NCLB but they must set new performance targets for improving student achievement and closing achievement gaps. They also must have accountability systems that recognize and reward high-performing schools and those that are making significant gains, while targeting rigorous and comprehensive interventions for the lowest-performing schools. Under the state-developed plans, all schools will develop and implement plans for improving educational outcomes for underperforming subgroups of students. State plans will require continued transparency around achievement gaps, but will provide schools and districts greater flexibility in how they spend Title I federal dollars.
More states will follow
Twenty-eight other states along with D.C. and Puerto Rico have indicated their intent to seek waivers. To get flexibility from NCLB, states must adopt and have a plan to implement college and career-ready standards. They must also create comprehensive systems of teacher and principal development, evaluation and support that include factors beyond test scores, such as principal observation, peer review, student work, or parent and student feedback.
Tempus fugit, time flies – and education’s time is now
A child in today’s educational system cannot wait. Much earlier, President John F. Kennedy indicated, “A child miseducated is a child lost.” Knowledge and education are empowerment. Education of every child is one of our nation’s most solemn responsibilities. Our nation’s future is dependent upon what we do now. That future depends upon today’s reform, actions that must lead to the empowerment of all our learners.
Find the take in this article to be helpful? The writer is a former US National Technology and Learning Teacher of the Year, a former US Web-based Education Commissioner during the Clinton administration, and former Vice President of Global Knowledge Exchange, now writing on National Education issues. To keep current on similar articles, view the suggested links below and click the free, “subscribe to get instant updates” link at the top of this article to get a conveniently customized news delivery.
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