This came following tight federal budget cuts, reduction of grants, and the offer from the Obama administration to allow states which promise to improve on preparation and evaluation of students by alternative means, to get a waiver around the ‘no child left behind law.’
Unsurprisingly, debt ridden states are lining up to get the waiver.
The waivers would constitute a stopgap measure until Congress updates the law which has been pending renewal since 2007.
A House committee passed a pair of Republican-backed bills on Tuesday to alter the law by shifting a major amount of control to the hands of schools and outside the direct control of the federal government.
However, the bills did not find support with Democrats and it is unlikely that a divided Congress would pass new amendments of the law during the election year.
The Education Department informed that additional states can apply for a waiver in a third round by September 6, 2012.
The ‘No Child Left Behind’ Act was passed in 2001 at the behest of President Bush and Senator Ted Kennedy with bipartisan agreement. However, the requirements of the law for all students to be proficient in math and reading by 2014 and penalization of schools based on performance didn’t go down well with schools without funds.
According to educators, the ‘No Child Left Behind’ Act also tilted education heavily in favor of math and reading, while other subjects faced neglect. Subjects like art, science, vocational training, and physical education were ‘left behind’ while schools struggled to see their students achieve non-penalizing grades in reading and math.
Besides the District of Columbia, the fresh round of states that have applied for waiver include Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.