Obama Lays Out Plan for NCLB Waivers

President Barack Obama announced Friday that states will be eligible for waivers from No Child Left Behind in exchange for implementing certain reforms, such as changing the way teachers and principals are evaluated and establishing standards that prepare students for college and careers. The waivers would let states scrap mandates requiring all students be proficient in math and reading by 2014. Obama also criticized Congress for not acting sooner to reform the law. NCLB, he said, largely has been responsible for a diminished focus on history and science and has encouraged teachers to teach to the test. International Reading Association Director of Government Relations Richard Long attended the announcement. Read his comments here.