Tony Bennett Responds to Indiana Receiving NCLB Waiver

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Bennett released the following statement responding to the announcement that Indiana is one of ten states to receive a federal waiver from certain requirements within No Child Left Behind:

"I applaud the U.S. Department of Education for providing states the flexibility they need to drive academic achievement for all students. Indiana's commitment to comprehensive reform has enabled us to be among the first states receiving a waiver. This is a tribute to the hard work of so many educators, students, parents, community members and policy makers in our state.

No Child Left Behind was a giant step forward for our nation's schools. It brought accountability to a system sorely in need of a stucture for driving results. However, as new advances in measuring student achievement and educator effectiveness have become available, the need for increased flexibility at the state and local level is more apparent than ever.

Indiana will take advantage of the flexibility we have been granted with this waiver by continuing to pursue policies that produce better academic outcomes for our children."

Click here to find Indiana's waiver application.