First it was states, then a collection of districts. Now, the U.S. Department of Education is taking the unusual step of giving a single tribal school flexibility from the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act.
The waiver for Miccosukee Indian School in Florida looks different from the comprehensive flexibility the department has granted at the state and, in one case, district levels. The waiver will allow the school to come up with its own definition of adequate yearly progress. That doesn’t mean Miccosukee necessarily gets wiggle room on other parts of the NCLB law.
The school is operated by the Bureau of Indian Education, which is under the U.S. Department of the Interior and generally serves students living on tribal lands. It serves just 150 students, but it’s the only school dedicated to the Miccosukee Indian Tribe.
