Hawaii To Seek Waiver From Federal Education Requirements
Hawaii notified the U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday that it plans to apply in February for from federal requirements. If granted, relief from the controversial law could kick in as soon as next year.
That would mean that more than 140 public schools (51 percent of the state’s total number of schools) slated for state intervention for failing to meet annual progress goals might get a reprieve.
That means that while Congress struggles to reform No Child Left Behind, the state might not have to hire costly third-party contractors to help schools meet the requirements of what is widely considered a broken system.
In exchange, though, schools may face even more challenging state-imposed requirements.
The U.S. Department of Education offered each state the chance to apply for flexibility from some of the requirements in No Child Left Behind. In order to qualify, though, states must commit to key education reforms that sound a lot like Race to the Top criteria: college- and career-ready standards, closing achievement gaps, more great teachers and principals, better use of data, and better accountability based on measuring annual student growth.
Wednesday was the deadline for states to notify the feds of their intent to file for a waiver. The first applications are due November 14 for a December review, and the second wave of them is due in mid-February.
Amnesty from the federal law “will provide states with a rigorous alternative to the current No Child Left Behind one-size-fits-all approach and the responsibility to redefine academic success beyond Adequate Yearly Progress,” said Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi in a press release announcing the department’s plan to apply for the waiver.
