President Barack Obama on Thursday will free 10 states from the
strict requirements of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law. The
move gives long-sought leeway to states that promise to improve how
they prepare and evaluate students.
A White House official says the states are Colorado, Florida,
Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey,
Oklahoma and Tennessee. The official says the only state that
applied for but was denied the flexibility is New Mexico, which is
working to get approval. The official spoke on condition of
anonymity because the states had not been announced.
The law requires all students to be proficient in reading and
math by 2014. Obama’s action strips away that requirement in
exchange for a viable substitute plan.