South Carolina appears poised, along with the majority of
states, to opt out of the controversial and punitive No Child
Left Behind law. Education Superintendent Mick Zais, Gov. Nikki
Haley and state legislators should proceed with caution with
this the U.S. Department of Education’s offer to grant waivers,
as it’s unclear whether this opportunity will prove to be
positive or negative. It could be yet another bureaucratic
disaster for public schools, or it could signal a shift away
from partisan politics and toward evidence-based school reform.
No Child Left Behind has been used by administrations of both
parties to force states into policies and practices that do more
harm than good — for example, Reading First under George W. Bush
and Race to the Top under President Obama. Opting out should be
a move by states to challenge the use of education policy and
funding to control state governments, but elements of the waiver
option appear to be yet more of that failed practice. A growing
body of research shows tha