#nclb #waiver Despite the lack of details and the fact that they made pretty much the same announcement a couple of months ago, here's a steady flow of news coverage and analysis of the Duncan waiver plan (see lots of links below the fold). Never underestimate Team Duncan's ability to pull things out of nowhere, I guess. Still, it remains pretty unclear whether the waiver notion can go forward and if it will do any good. CEP just released a study showing that low-income kids have been making strong progress during the NCLB era. Opponents and cautioners remain numerous and powerful (House Republicans, Jeb Bush, NEA, Ed Trust, US Chamber). Everybody wants a waiver, sure, but not everybody wants NCLB rolled back or diluted. (Where are the reformers on this, I wonder? I'm calling around to see what the accountability hawks and "by any means necessary" types are saying about rolling back accountability.) And - this is perhaps most important -- we know from the RTTT process over the past two years that peer reviewing doesn't always yield strong or consistent results, that folks will promise pretty much anything to Washington whether or not they're ever going to do what they say, and that the Duncan team's ability to enforce implementation of its reforms is shaping up to be pretty weak. RTTT timelines are slipping like mad, and some Race states aren't making much progress at all. Want to know what the waivers will look like? Look at Race implementation. Links below.
No Child Left Behind Gets A Revamp NPR: House Republicans complained that the secretary should have waited for Congress. Reaction Pours in on NCLB Waiver Announcement EdWeek: It will be interesting to see how many of these folks are still on Team Waiver when the administration gets into the nitty-gritty. Jeb Bush to Duncan: Set High Bar for State NCLB Waivers EdWeek: Bush makes it clear he thinks many states—particularly those that have set low standards—aren't deserving of waivers, and shouldn't be given them unless they up their game. Ed. Secy: States to get waivers on No Child tests AP: The Obama administration effectively gutted the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law Monday. Study Finds Learning Gains for Title I Students EdWeek: Researchers found that students in the Title I education program for students in poverty improved in math and reading during the 2002-2009 time span in most states with sufficient test data.
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