Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Education has rejected Washington state's application for a waiver from No Child Left Behind after the state requested exemption from a requirement that letters be sent to parents of children at failing schools, letting them know that their students can transfer to a better school.
- While the federal government makes strides to re-work the national education agenda, the Bush-era NCLB law is still in place; however, 43 states and the District of Columbia have been waived from the laws requirements.
- Another factor hurting Washington's application is its current teacher evaluation process, as the state does not currently weigh state test scores in the evaluations — something the federal government is pushing hard via Race to the Top and the NCLB waivers.
Dive Insight:
As with the Race To The Top grant program, the federal government is able to push its agenda through the waivers. Since many states want to be exempt from NCLB expectations — such as sending home letters if a school does not make adequate yearly progress, explaining that students can switch schools — they have eagerly agreed to many of the RTTT expectations, since the federal government essentially requires them for waiver eligibility.
Washington state was the first state to lose its NCLB waiver, but it may not be alone for long. Indiana recently turned in an updated application after it was told it would lose eligibility, and the state is still waiting on a response from the U.S. Education Department.