Holliday Testifies on Need for Flexibility in NCLB

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Kentucky’s Education Commissioner is asking Congress to allow the state to continue under a waiver from No Child Left Behind standards. Commissioner Terry Holliday appeared today at a hearing for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions – or HELP – to speak on the benefits of flexibility for states.

Holliday says the waivers allow states to escape the unintended consequences of NCLB like lower standards, “teaching to the test,” and reduced emphasis on arts, physical education and other subjects. NCLB has been up for reauthorization since 2007, and Holliday says he wants Congress to take into account the success of states like Kentucky when deciding how much flexibility to allow in federal education regulations.