Arne Duncan's 'Plan B' May Leave 'No Child' Behind : NPR

Arne Duncan's 'Plan B' May Leave 'No Child' Behind : NPR

Arne Duncan's 'Plan B' May Leave 'No Child' Behind

by NPR STAFF AND WIRES

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is signaling that he's prepared to give public schools relief from federal mandates under No Child Left Behind if Congress does not pass the law's long-awaited overhaul and re-authorization this year.

"This is absolutely plan B," Duncan told reporters during an embargoed conference call on Friday. "The prospect of doing nothing is what I'm fighting against."

That relief could take the form of granting waivers on test scoring to flexibility on how schools spend federal dollars. "We can't afford to do nothing," he said.

Both Republicans and Democrats agree that the mandate, signed into law in 2002 with bi-partisan support, is dated and flawed. One of the major complaints is that some schools have been labeled failures despite making improvements.

Duncan said he's encouraged by talks with lawmakers in recent weeks that indicate the law may

Teachers Speed-Date For Jobs In Rhode Island

Earlier this year, the city of Providence, R.I., fired all of its nearly 2,000 teachers, shut down five schools and consolidated some programs. Most of the fired teachers were rehired, but when the dust settled, 400 teachers were left without jobs. To give them a chance to apply for 270 positions elsewhere the district, Providence officials are using an unusual device. From member station WRNI, Elisabeth Harrison reports.