Waiver Hopefuls Put Through Paces by Review Process

Before awarding waivers from core tenets of the No Child Left Behind Act to 11 states, the U.S. Department of Education ordered changes to address a significant weakness in most states' proposals: how they would hold schools accountable for groups of students deemed academically at risk, particularly those in special education or learning English.

The feedback from peer reviewers and the department, now available to the public, provides a road map for states hoping to win waivers in later rounds, and a warning that the department's promise of flexibility is not unlimited.

"Obviously, we're very, very hopeful with what all these states will do," U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told reporters in a conference call announcing the waivers. "But if [at] any point we think states aren't living up to their commitments or are somehow acting in bad faith, we obviously retain the right...