Washington, D.C. — Ulrich Boser, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement on the announcement of the Obama administration’s efforts to reform No Child Left Behind:
Today the Obama administration announced that it will offer states relief from the requirements of No Child Left Behind, or NCLB, since Congress has been unable to reform the law. The administration’s plan is to create a process that will allow states or districts that are pursuing ambitious reform initiatives to gain respite from outdated provisions of the law. The administration took action because it’s clear that the law needs fixing—and a bipartisan bill would not pass Congress anytime soon.
To be sure, Congress should continue to work to fix NCLB. Many aspects of the current law don’t work to improve student outcomes. But with Congress unable to take immediate action, the administration’s plan makes a lot of sense. We look forward to seeing additional details, which the Department of Education aims to release in September. But we’re encouraged by the specifics described so far, which indicate that the administration will continue to promote policies that hold all schools accountable for the achievement of all students while also encouraging flexibility and innovation.
###