Wisconsin's waiver plan would boost accountability

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

A majority of Wisconsin schools will fall under the "needs to improve" category by 2014 if the state is not granted a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law, and that could mean sanctions and mindless educational pain. With one of the largest educational achievement gaps between black and white students in the country, Wisconsin can't afford that.

The problem from the start with NCLB has been that the law labels way too many schools as failing, then dictates unworkable remedies. That has tended to drive down standards, weaken accountability and narrow the curriculum - all of which runs counter to the laudable original goals of NCLB when it was passed with bipartisan support under President George W. Bush.

A waiver proposal put together by the state would help remedy this no-win situation. We think that the state's proposal would boost standards, improve accountability and begin essential reforms to improve teacher effectiveness. We favor tough accountability standards - and, of course, improving student outcomes. But we don't believe the current federal law is doing that, which is why seeking the waiver is necessary.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at February 14, 2012 1:28 AM
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