The Obama Administration is expected to give ten states “No Child Left Behind” waivers today, providing them with leeway to develop their own strategies.

According to NewsOne, those states are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee. New Mexico has yet to recieve a waiver, but is reportedly working with the Obama Administration to get one as well.

28 other states are expected to apply for waivers in the coming months.

From NewsOne:

“No Child Left Behind requires all students to be proficient in reading and math by 2014. Obama’s action strips away that fundamental requirement for those approved for flexibility, provided they offer a viable plan instead. Under the deal, the states must show they will prepare children for college and careers, set new targets for improving achievement among all students, reward the best performing schools and focus help on the ones doing the worst.

In September, Obama called President George W. Bush’s most hyped domestic accomplishment an admirable but flawed effort that hurt students instead of helping them. He said action was necessary because Congress failed to update the law despite widespread bipartisan agreement that it needs fixing.”

This executive action from the President is a welcome change for states embattled with meeting the program’s requirements, but unfortunately it’s also a testament to how unsuccessful we have been in providing our youth with a quality education.

Considering the program’s approaching 2014 deadline, it’s shocking how many schools are nowhere near meeting its requirements.

“Critics today say the 2014 deadline was unrealistic, the law is too rigid and led to teaching to the test, and too many schools feel they are labeled as “failures.” Under No Child Left Behind, schools that don’t meet requirements for two years or longer face increasingly tough consequences, including busing children to higher-performing schools, offering tutoring and replacing staff.

As the deadline approaches, more schools are failing to meet requirements under the law, with nearly half not doing so last year, according to the Center on Education Policy. Center officials said that’s because some states today have harder tests or have high numbers of immigrant and low-income children, but it’s also because the law requires states to raise the bar each year for how many children must pass the test.”

Read the rest of this article at NewsOne.com

 

It it a good idea for the President to issue these waivers?

Why has “No Child Left Behind” been such  a failure?

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