State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Issues Statement on NCLB Waivers
SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson issued the following statement regarding today's announcement of the first states to be granted waivers from No Child Left Behind requirements:
"California has rejected No Child Left Behind as a broken system that has not worked for our schools or our students. While our state continues to weigh its options regarding a waiver, this much is clear: one top-down decade is enough. The law's failures should prompt a thorough reassessment of the federal role in education, not merely the substitution of one set of inflexible requirements for another.
"Our schools are making great strides—even in a time of terrible budget choices. They deserve relief that does not require them to slow or reverse their progress with no assurance of stability for the long term."
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Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
