Dayton Hails MN No Child Left Behind Waiver

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius went to Washington for President Barack Obama's announcement that 10 states including Minnesota are being freed of the strict and sweeping requirements of the No Child Left Behind education law.

In exchange for the waivers, the 10 states have come up with alternative plans for improving the way schools teach and evaluate students.

Gov. Mark Dayton says in a statement that the waiver will allow Minnesota administrators, teachers and parents to work together in building a new system of school accountability, which will lead to better education for the state's children.

In the same statement, Cassellius says this waiver will help Minnesota address its achievement gap, which is one of the widest in the country, and create an educational system that better serves every student.

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