NCLB Waivers: Part of Obama's Re-Election Strategy

This from Politics K-12:

With President Obama's jobs plan stalled in Congress and his re-election campaign saddled by low approval numbers and high unemployment, his administration plans to roll out a series of policy initiatives that show action in the face of deadlock.

This week, he plans to announce efforts to help underwater mortgage holders and struggling student-loan borrowers, according to the New York Times and Politico's Playbook.

And an important part of this "we can't wait" narrative: Since Congress couldn't get the job done on rewriting No Child Left Behind, his administration took action to give states and districts relief.

Mike Allen, in today's Playbook, quotes a White House official who was explaining the new message: "[W]e decided to stop waiting for Congress to fix No Child Left Behind, and decided to give states the flexibility they need to help our children meet higher standards."

And the Times writes as an example of several steps Obama officials have already undertaken: "[The administration] announced waivers for states with schools falling short of the proficiency standards of the 2002 No Child Left Behind education law—a move that prompted some senators to compromise on an alternative rewrite of the law." ...