Minn. lawmakers briefed on NCLB waiver plan

The Minnesota Department of Education remains committed to applying for a waiver later this month from the U.S. Department of Education to portions of the controversial federal No Child Left Behind law.

Deputy Commissioner Jessie Montano says missing the Nov. 14 deadline and applying at the second deadline in mid-February won't leave enough time to prepare for the next school year.

Montano and other members of the department briefed the state House Education Finance Committee during a hearing Wednesday afternoon.

If the waiver request is approved, fewer Minnesota schools would be labeled as failures under federal accountability standards and schools that haven't met federal benchmarks would face fewer sanctions.

President Barack Obama has announced the government would grant waivers to the nation's key education law in exchange for the states adopting certain reforms.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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