Miller Statement on First Round of States Applying for Flexibility from No Child Left Behind
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education announced that 11 states submitted applications for flexibility in the form of waivers from No Child Left Behind. In exchange for a waiver, states had to agree to adopt common-sense reforms that include college and career ready standards, new accountability, school improvement systems and meaningful teacher and school leader evaluations. The states who applied were Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Tennessee. California has yet to indicate it intends to apply for a waiver.
“The President and Secretary Duncan have given every state in this country the opportunity to make a real change in our schools to help all students. These 11 states are ready to start transforming their schools. They’re ready to say goodbye to No Child Left Behind and usher in a new era of school reform that will bring their schools to the future.
“Unfortunately, California is not among these trailblazing states, which is incredibly disappointing to me and to the millions of school children in my state. Instead, California’s state leaders keep making excuses as to why they shouldn’t apply, claiming that the waivers are costly, an argument that no other state has made. The reality is that many of the reforms that they have claimed are costly are already happening at the state-level with the Common Core or in leading districts with teacher evaluation. Their arguments don’t really add up to what’s best for students.
“California teaches about 10 percent of the country’s children in school. If the state decides to ignore this opportunity to advance its education system, it does a disservice not only to California, but to the nation and our long-term economic security. I remain optimistic that California will change direction and be on the right side of history on this decision.”
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