STATEMENT: CAP on President Obama’s Education Waivers Announcement

September 23, 2011

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Contact: Katie Peters
Phone: 202.741.6285
Email: kpeters@americanprogress.org

Cynthia G. Brown, Vice President for Education Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement regarding the president’s waivers announcement:

Today the president announced that he 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 smartly decided to take action since the law is in need of repair—and a bipartisan bill most likely will not pass Congress anytime soon. Many aspects of the current law don’t work well for students, and Congress should continue to work to fix NCLB. But with some conservative lawmakers preventing bipartisan congressional action, the administration’s efforts are a welcome relief to states—and schools—around the country.

The president’s plan continues to press for reform at the state and local level. As part of the initiative, states must agree to a rigorous and comprehensive plan that addresses a number of reforms such as adopting college and career standards, developing differentiated accountability systems, and evaluating and supporting teacher effectiveness. We applaud the president for his leadership on this key issue.

For more information on this topic, review CAP’s new resource: "Education Waivers 101: Eight Questions You Should Ask About Education Waivers."

To speak with CAP experts on the issue, please contact Katie Peters at kpeters1@americanprogress.org or 202.741.6285.

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