Tennessee and Georgia's inclusion on the list of 10 states to get waivers from some requirements of the Federal No Child Left Behind education legislation can be viewed as a form of relief for the states and their schools, and as confirmation that the states' own reform efforts have merit. The waivers, however, aren't get of jail free cards. The 10 states still must meet rigorous criteria, though the waiver provides a welcome flexibility in meeting those benchmarks.
The waivers, announced Thursday by President Barack Obama, require the 10 states to demonstrate that they are preparing students for higher education, that they are building fair evaluation systems for teachers, and that they are creating a framework that rewards higher performing schools even as it provides meaningful assistance to those struggling to meet basic standards. That is an exacting set of demands, but all 10 states willingly accepted the requirements that accompany the waivers, judging them preferable to NCLB standards.
The old rules, promulgated a decade ago, were well-intended but they placed what proved to be unreasonable burdens on many states. They required that all students perform at grade level in reading and math by 2014. There are problems with a a requirement that schools be rated on a pass-fail basis tied directly to standardized testing.
The requirement put unfair emphasis on those two subject areas. Teachers and schools concentrated on the teaching of math and reading because they worried about what would happen if students failed to meet standards. It's widely believed that the NCLB rules prompted a surge in "teaching to the test." That's a practice designed to prepare students to do well on a standardized exam, but one that does not necessarily impart in-depth knowledge of subject matter. Those weren't the only problems.
Even the strongest proponents of NCLB now agree that the emphasis on math and reading is detrimental to a well-rounded education. In many districts, the teaching of social studies and science became almost an afterthought. Surely, those interested in reforming an educational system in distress did not intend to create curricula in which vital subjects became, so to speak, second-class citizens.
Tennessee and Georgia earned waivers because each convinced federal officials that state education reform efforts are viable. In Tennessee, the new Achievement School District establishes the criteria for a failing school and puts forth correctives. In Georgia, education officials will use a variety of measures rather than a lone standardized test to rate schools. A waiver and the flexibility it brings, however, are no guarantee of success.
Waivers might prove beneficial in the short term, but are not a long-term solution to the nation's education woes. It would be far better for Congress to overhaul NCLB and create workable national standards and measures rather than let states establish their own through the use of waivers. That's not going to happen. Political partisanship would quickly torpedo such an effort. The nation's schools and students deserve better.