(NEW YORK) MintPress – No more No Child Left Behind (NCLB) for another five states beginning this week. On Friday, President Obama granted waivers from NCLB requirements to Arkansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Utah and Virginia, bringing the total number of states who have been given waivers to 24.
NCLB requires students in all ethnic, socioeconomic and special education groups to test proficient in reading and math by 2014, a goal the nation is far from achieving.
While the country has a reading literacy rate at 99 percent of the population over age 15, it ranks below average in science and mathematics understanding compared to other developed countries. In 2008, there was a 77 percent graduation rate from high school, below that of most developed countries.
The states had been pleading for exemption from the sanctions imposed by federal law, claiming they could establish more effective and efficient ways to improve schools.
In exchange, the states and all others granted waivers must provide plans to make all students career or college ready, focus resources on the neediest schools and students, and strengthen teaching and leadership skills.
Missouri, for example, has been monitoring and grading its schools through its Missouri School Improvement Program, which has been increasing its standards since the 1990s. The state incorporated its latest improvements in its waiver request, along with its pilot Missouri Educator Evaluation System.
And in Arkansas, hundreds of additional schools will be held accountable for the achievement of students with disabilities, English language learners and those from low-income families.
“Our goal was to get out of the way,” said U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. “We all understand that the best ideas don’t come from Washington, and moving forward, these states will have increased flexibility with federal funds and relief from NCLB’s mandates allowing them to develop locally tailored solutions to meet their unique educational challenges.”
Bush Administration and NCLB
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was first proposed by President George W. Bush immediately after he took office, amid widespread public concern about the state of education in the United States.
Congress passed the bill with bipartisan support, and Bush signed it into law on January 8, 2002.
NCLB is a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which included Title I, the government’s flagship aid program for disadvantaged students. NCLB amends Title I to read, “The purpose of this title is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessments.”
According to the legislation, schools are required to pass yearly tests that will judge how much improvement the students have made over the fiscal year. These yearly standardized tests are the main means of determining whether schools are living up to the standards that they are required to meet. If the required improvements are not made, the schools face decreased federal funding and other punishments.
The law has been praised for focusing on the performance of minorities, low-income students, English language learners and special ed students.
Its supporters claim one of its strongest positive points is the increased accountability on the part of schools and teachers, which forces them to recognize the significance of the educational system and how it affects the country.
Critics of the law say that it has the unintended effect of encouraging instructors to teach to the test and had led schools to narrow their curriculums. Opponents also maintain that the punishments only hurt the schools and do not contribute to the improvement of student education.
“No Child Left Behind had a lot of great intentions,” said Missouri’s Grandview School District Superintendent Ralph Teran. “But it was time to reset and repair things.”
Obama blueprint
Secretary Duncan and the White House have been pushing to do just that for some time, but Congress has made little headway over the last two years.
After Duncan warned that 82 percent of schools could be labeled “failing,” the Obama administration announced last year that states could apply for waivers.
Republicans have charged the president with overreaching his authority and imposing his vision for education on the states.
Obama’s education reform plan, released in March, supports state and local efforts to help ensure that all students graduate prepared for college and a career.
“We will work with Congress on a bipartisan basis to reauthorize ESEA this year,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said about the blueprint. “We owe it to our children and our country to act now.”
In February, Obama granted waivers to Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Tennessee and New Mexico, and in May to Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Rhode Island.
“We’re offering support, incentives and national leadership, but not at the expense of local control.” Duncan said. “Our children have one chance for a great education. Together, we need to get it right.”