On Monday, November 14, eleven states submitted requests for waivers from specific requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) to the U.S. Department of Education. The states that submitted applications are: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. For more information and to review the individual state requests, please go to the Department's ESEA Flexibility website.

For EducationCounsel's September 27, 2011 analysis of the ESEA Flexibility Plan, please click here.


U.S. Department of Education Headlines

Keeping the Beat November 21, 2011

International Education Week: Partnering to Improve World Literacy November 18, 2011

Middle Grades Matter November 17, 2011

Teach Moves to New Partners November 17, 2011

$200 Million Available for Race to the Top Round 3 November 16, 2011

Statement on "Connect to Compete" Initiative November 15, 2011

Town Hall: 140 Characters at a Time November 15, 2011

Top Schools and Leaders Celebrated at Blue Ribbon Schools Ceremony November 15, 2011

Congressional Headlines

Subcommittee Discusses Boosting Student Achievement through Effective Research November 16, 2011

New Legislation

H.R.3405: Increased Student Achievement Through Increased Student Support Act
Sponsor: Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10] (introduced 11/14/2011)

H.R.3445: Learn to Earn Act of 2011
Sponsor: Rep Loebsack, David [IA-2] (introduced 11/16/2011)  

H.R.3447: Veterans' Education Protection Act
Sponsor: Rep Quigley, Mike [IL-5] (introduced 11/16/2011)

H.R.3456: To authorize the President's request to eliminate the Ready-to-Learn program.
Sponsor: Rep Hayworth, Nan A. S. [NY-19] (introduced 11/17/2011)

H.R.3464: Sandra Day O'Connor Civic Learning Act of 2011
Sponsor: Rep Honda, Michael M. [CA-15] (introduced 11/17/2011)

H.R.3469: Universal Prekindergarten and Early Childhood Education Act of 2011
Sponsor: Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC] (introduced 11/17/2011)

H.R.3483: To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide equity for tuition and fees for individuals entitled to educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs who are pursuing programs of education at institutions of higher learning, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Butterfield, G. K. [NC-1] (introduced 11/18/2011)

H.R.3490: To direct the Secretary of Education to make grants to State educational agencies for the modernization, renovation, or repair of public school facilities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Chandler, Ben [KY-6] (introduced 11/18/2011)

H.R.3498: To provide for high-quality academic tutoring for low-income students, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep McKeon, Howard P. "Buck" [CA-25] (introduced 11/18/2011)

S.1884: A bill to provide States with incentives to require elementary schools and secondary schools to maintain, and permit school personnel to administer, epinephrine at schools.
Sponsor: Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] (introduced 11/17/2011)   

Publications

Community College Student Outcomes: 1994–2009 National Center for Education Statistics. November 21, 2011.

Documentation for the NCES Common Core of Data School District Finance Survey (F-33), School Year 2008–09 (Fiscal Year 2009) National Center for Education Statistics. November 17, 2011.

Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary School Districts: School Year 2008–09 (Fiscal Year 2009) National Center for Education Statistics. November 17, 2011.

Characteristics of GED Recipients in High School: 2002–06 National Center for Education Statistics. November 16, 2011.

Federal Education Tax Benefits: Who Receives Them and to What Extent Do They Shape the Price of College Attendance? National Center for Education Statistics. November 15, 2011.