No Child Left Behind waivers: five ways education will change

President Obama announced the first 10 states to receive waivers from certain aspects of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal education law on Thursday. Here’s a look at some ways they are pushing for progress through the flexibility granted by the waivers.

- Stacy Teicher Khadaroo, Staff writer

5. Improvements for English-language learners and students with disabilities

NCLB critics say that these groups of students have gotten short shrift. Under the waiver granted for Oklahoma, the state will require that each English learner, in schools identified as needing improvement, have a Language Instruction Educational Plan. This plan will be developed by content-area teachers and an English-as-a-second-language specialist, and the students’ progress will be evaluated quarterly. The state is also boosting the types of professional development required of teachers who work with English learners.

Colorado, Indiana, and several other of the 10 waiver states also have put forward plans to ensure that English learners and students with disabilities have access to high-level standards and curriculum to prepare them for colleges and careers.