NCLB waivers not automatic
Teacher evaluations remain an issue
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson won’t be with 20 other state education chiefs at the White House today when President Obama formally announces a waiver deal to free states from the tightening screws of the No Child Left Behind Act. Torlakson’s absence reflects California’s uncertainty over the still sketchy details of the waiver program – and its ambivalence.
Like other states, California could greatly benefit from the relaxation of sanctions for failing to meet the law’s core requirement, that all students be proficient in math and English language arts by 2014. The state would also welcome more flexibility in spending NCLB’s Title I dollars and the freedom to design improvement plans for schools with big gaps in student