Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Education has granted one-year extension waivers from No Child Left Behind to Arizona, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Utah.
- The law (also known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) expired in 2007, and since then, the federal government has allowed states to apply for waivers that pardon them from some of the act's rigid expectations.
- In order to receive waivers, states must also meet certain achievement goals.
Dive Insight:
Some of the reforms that have occurred for Arizona, for example, to be eligible for a waiver include programs to help disabled students and initiatives to check the college readiness of upper classmen.
Previously, Arizona had been at risk of not receiving a waiver because the federal government called the state out in November 2013 for not meeting achievement targets.
While NCLB expired in 2007, the federal government has made no moves to reauthorize it, forcing states to continuously reapply for waivers. It works to the White House's benefit, as each state really has to obey what the federal government wants if it desires any leniency. Washington consulting group Whiteboard Advisers surveyed education "insiders" and found only 20% of those surveyed believed a reauthorization would happen anytime soon.