Critics Pan Obama Plan to Tie Title I to Standards

The Obama administration’s proposal to make federal funding for disadvantaged students contingent on states’ adoption of reading and math standards that prepare students for college or a career has drawn sharp criticism from groups representing grassroots educators and state lawmakers, even as some governors and members of Congress appear open to the idea.

The proposal, which would be rolled into the administration’s still-emerging plan for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, would for the first time link the law’s flagship Title I program to a push for higher academic standards that has gained new national momentum.

It would require states to either join with their counterparts in developing rigorous, college- and career-ready standards, or work with institutions of higher education to set standards that would ensure high school graduates are ready to enter postsecondary...