Dive Brief:
- Oklahoma was stripped of its No Child Left Behind waiver by the U.S. Department of Education, the Washington Post reported Thursday.
- According to officials, the state lost its waiver because it had not shown dedication to college and career readiness.
- In May, Oklahoma legislators voted to opt out of the Common Core State Standards, which the Obama administration has backed as a more rigorous option for the nation's schools.
Dive Insight:
When Oklahoma voted to ditch the Common Core, state legislators decided to create new standards by 2016, ideally giving the state some time to create rigorous and original benchmarks. In the interim, however, the state decided to return to its old standards, which according to the Washington Post are largely seen as mediocre. It would appear the federal government is not penalizing Oklahoma for dropping the Common Core, but rather for reverting to subpar standards. That said, it would still definitely appear as though the Obama administration has a Common Core stranglehold, penalizing any state that dares to deviate.
News of the NCLB waiver suspension will have at least one fan: Gov. Bobby Jindal. On Thursday, the Louisiana governor filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration alleging that Race to the Top grants and NCLB waivers are illegally being used to manipulate states into adopting the Common Core. Oklahoma's suspension, will no doubt add weight to the argument he plans to present.