Obama giving states No Child waivers

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President Barack Obama shakes hands with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, as they stand with educators and students, as the president spoke about No Child Left Behind Reform, Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Updated: November 11, 2011 1:05PM

WASHINGTON — Decrying the state of American education, President Barack Obama on Friday said states will get unprecedented freedom to waive basic elements of the sweeping Bush-era No Child Left Behind law, calling it an admirable but flawed effort that has hurt students instead of helping them.

Obama’s announcement could fundamentally affect the education of tens of millions of children. It will allow states to scrap the requirement that all children must show proficiency in reading and math by 2014 if states meet conditions designed to better prepare and test students.

And the president took a shot at Congress, saying his executive action was needed only because lawmakers have not stepped in to improve the law for years.

“Congress hasn’t been able to do it. So I will,” Obama said. “Our kids only get one shot at a decent education.”

Under the plan Obama outlined, states can ask the Education Department to be exempted from some of the law’s requirements if they meet certain conditions, such as imposing standards to prepare students for college and careers and setting evaluation standards for teachers and principals.

Obama insisted he was not weakening the law but helping states set higher standards

AP