Judging Process Seen Crucial in NCLB Waivers

Although U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan ultimately decides which states get relief from key requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, a group of outside judges will wield tremendous influence in deciding states’ fates.

With states facing compliance deadlines under the law and Congress moving slowly on reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, whose current version is the NCLB law, the U.S. Department of Education on Sept. 22 released long-expected waiver guidelines. ( "Obama Outlines NCLB Flexibility," Sept. 28, 2011.)

Peer reviewers selected by the department will have to make important, potentially controversial judgment calls on the strength of each waiver applicant’s plan, including whether new teacher-evaluation guidelines go far enough to “inform personnel decisions,” and whether state-designed interventions in...