Did Revoking No Child Left Behind Regulations "Waive" in Better Student Outcomes?

• In Event: Education Reform: An Ongoing Debate Toward Improving Educational Opportunities

Abstract

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waivers transformed school accountability systems by giving states more control over school sanctions. Prior research has examined whether the waiver sanctions improved outcomes for the lowest performing schools. I use the National Assessment of Education Progress to examine the global effect of the waivers and the effect of providing states the flexibility to sanction fewer schools. I also estimate the effect of evading school sanctions by comparing schools that were targeted for sanctions under NCLB but were not under the waivers. I find the waivers had a null effect on achievement overall, but that evading school sanctions led to a moderate short-term increase in outcomes.

Author

• Joshua Bleiberg, Brown University