News Brief
Arne Duncan Gives No Child Left Behind Waivers to California Districts
Washington Post (08/06/13) Layton, LyndseyThe U.S. Education Department will grant No Child Left Behind waivers to eight California school districts in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other locations, marking a direct relationship between the federal government and local school systems for the first time. The department previously granted waivers to 39 states and the District of Columbia, but the new waivers for the school districts bypass the state government and will take effect when the school year begins in August. The school districts opted to work together to obtain the waivers after the state's bid for a waiver was rejected in 2012. Council of Chief State School Officers Executive Director Chris Minnich says, "This is a pretty troubling development. The states have always traditionally been in control of accountability for most school districts. The idea that the secretary of education is controlling the accountability system in eight districts in California is kind of mind-boggling." Only Iowa's waiver request was rejected, with Nebraska and Montana not applying for a waiver and North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming withdrawing their applications.
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