With Congress stalled on revising the controversial No Child Left Behind education law, the Obama administration said this week that it would issue waivers to states, exempting them from the law’s “unrealistic” mandates and sanctions. The waivers would be granted in exchange for reforms, such as raising student achievement standards and implementing teacher evaluations. “I cannot overemphasize how loud the outcry is for us to do something now,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan. State and local districts have been asking for relief from federal mandates requiring that 100 percent of the nation’s public school students be proficient or better in math and reading by 2014.
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