NCLB Waivers Urged as Spur for Research

Washington

A national advisory board signed off last week on a flurry of far-reaching recommendations—some of which may prove controversial—for strengthening research on education.

Among the proposals approved Sept. 21 by the 14-member National Board for Education Sciences was a call for the Department of Education to give accountability waivers to schools and districts that take part in randomized experiments.

“The No Child Left Behind Act created strong demand among schools and districts for research-proven strategies to improve achievement,” said board member Jon Baron, who is the executive director of the Washington-based Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy. “And there’s not much...