NCLB: A Glass Now More Than Half Empty?
The number of states granted waivers from the most onerous provisions of No Child Left Behind crossed the halfway mark when Washington and Wisconsin joined the 24 others that have obtained waivers from the U.S. Department of Education.
"It is a remarkable milestone that in only five months, more than half of the states in the country have adopted state-developed, next-generation education reforms to improve student learning and classroom instruction, while ensuring that resources are targeted to the students that need them most," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a statement late last week announcing the new waivers. "A strong, bipartisan reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act remains the best path forward in education reform, but as 26 states have now demonstrated, our kids can't wait any longer for Congress to act."
Indeed, it has been quite a wait for students, educators, parents, schools, and states. The reauthorization of ESEA is more than four years overdue. Given the fiercely partisan mood on the Hill and the looming election cycle, there is little optimism for a speedy resolution. In the meantime, what does it mean to have more than 50
"It is a remarkable milestone that in only five months, more than half of the states in the country have adopted state-developed, next-generation education reforms to improve student learning and classroom instruction, while ensuring that resources are targeted to the students that need them most," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a statement late last week announcing the new waivers. "A strong, bipartisan reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act remains the best path forward in education reform, but as 26 states have now demonstrated, our kids can't wait any longer for Congress to act."
Indeed, it has been quite a wait for students, educators, parents, schools, and states. The reauthorization of ESEA is more than four years overdue. Given the fiercely partisan mood on the Hill and the looming election cycle, there is little optimism for a speedy resolution. In the meantime, what does it mean to have more than 50
