The Obama administration has announced it intends to bypass Congress and issue waivers to states seeking exemption from controversial regulations of the No Child Left Behind Act.
President Obama announced Monday that the Department of Education would provide a process for states to "seek relief" from key aspects of the federal law, passed during the first term of President George W. Bush, which has been criticized as mandating one-size-fits-all educational policy from the North Slope of Alaska to the Florida Keys.
Washington, D.C. political news website Politico first reported the story.
Arne Duncan, the nation's top education official, said the changes won't amount to a pass on "accountability" for school districts -- and that states seeking flexibility within the law will have a "high bar" to pass.
Obama says the Congress has for 16 months held legislation to reform federal education policy but that gridlock has prompted his administration to move forward alone.
What does this mean for Alaska? The state's Department of Education and Early Development portal informs residents that "No Child Left Behind brings enormous challenges to our state."
The state has its own education reform initiative, which boasts 20 years of work toward creating statewide education performance standards.
Alaska only sends 30 percent of high school graduates to college, and only 7.9 percent of children from low income families, according to the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education. That's well below the national norm.
Various state legislative attempts aim to remedy the situation, including Gov. Sean Parnell's Alaska Performance Scholarship as well as rural truancy crackdowns.