Thursday, March 29, 2012

Education secretary defends Obama administration's use of school waivers – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs

Education secretary defends Obama administration's use of school waivers – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs:


Education secretary defends Obama administration's use of school waivers


Education secretary defends Obama administration's use of school waivers

by Sally Holland, CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Republicans on Capitol Hill Wednesday criticized Education Secretary Arne Duncan's use of waivers for schools that haven't met the benchmarks for the No Child Left Behind law
"I don't believe that the language of the law allows the secretary to provide conditional waivers," said Rep. John Kline, R-Minnesota, chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
When No Child Left Behind originated over 10 years ago, it set standards that students had to meet by certain dates or the schools would face sanctions. As the standards have gotten progressively higher, schools have had difficulty reaching the goals. Last fall, the Obama administration began