No Child Left Behind loses bite Obama issues waivers

No Child Left Behind loses bite Obama issues waivers:  For 10 states, the adventitious to get No Child Larboard Abaft off their backs has assuredly arrived, with Admiral Obama announcement long-awaited waivers from some aspects of the federal apprenticeship law Thursday.

The George W. Bush-era bipartisan law has broadly been accustomed with bringing to ablaze accomplishment gaps in which ancestral minority, low-income, disabled, and non-native English speaking acceptance accept been the a lot of larboard behind. But it’s aswell been broadly criticized for a one-size-fits all access to accountability, with abounding states adage it’s an albatross.

“With the waivers, Obama has afflicted the mural of accountability beneath No Child Larboard behind,” says Diane Stark Rentner, acting administrator of the Center on Apprenticeship Action in Washington.

The states that accept so far accustomed waivers through the US Department of Apprenticeship are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

They will now accept adaptability to ambition assets on the lowest-performing schools. They will still be accepted to analysis and address accomplishment data, but will no best accept to crave all schools to advance at a assertive amount to ability 100 percent accomplishment in account and algebraic by 2014, as NCLB required.

That borderline “was a admirable ambition but absolutely absurd to attain with an apprenticeship arrangement that is structured the way it is,” says Cynthia Brown, carnality admiral for apprenticeship action at the Center for American Progress in Washington. “We’ve had so abundant ameliorate drive throughout the country over the endure 5 or six years that it’s absolutely important to acclimate the law to … the alertness of states and districts to yield on new means of accomplishing things.”

New Mexico has aswell activated for a abandonment and is in discussions with the US Department of Education, and 28 added states accept said they intend to administer for a additional annular of waivers after this month.

In barter for flexibility, the states accept to set standards to adapt acceptance for academy and careers and actualize affairs to advance the capability of agents and principals.

In addition, their accountability systems have to accolade schools with top accomplishment or cogent assets in closing accomplishment gaps. By contrast, NCLB’s requirements were abundantly apparent as punitive.