BREAKING: GAO Report Finds That DOE Has Not Evaluated NCLB Waivers #GAO #ESEA

The Government Accountability Office has issued a report finding that the federal Department of Education  has not yet evaluated its process to review, approve, and monitor the flexibility waivers given to states under NCLB or incorporated any relevant lessons learned into its plans for implementing the December 2015 reauthorization of the ESEA.  As the Department begins to implement the new law, it has an opportunity to learn from its experiences with the Flexibility initiative and incorporate any applicable lessons learned. Absent such an evaluation, Education may miss opportunities to better oversee state implementation of the new law.

Of the 43 states with Flexibility waivers, the GAO identified 12 states that faced multiple significant challenges throughout the initiative, affecting their ability to fully implement their waivers: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Texas. Many of these states were particularly challenged to develop systems for overseeing local school districts and schools. Specifically, during Part B monitoring, Education found that 8 of the 12 states the GAO  identified as facing multiple challenges did not meet expectations regarding systems for monitoring local implementation of their Flexibility waivers. According to Education officials, many states were not implementing monitoring activities consistent with their approved Flexibility waivers and the key Flexibility principles

You can review the Highlights of the report here. You can read the entire 30 page report here.