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Tom Weber
St. Paul, Minn.

State education commissioner attends Obama's education speech today

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President Obama outlined details today for how states can obtain waivers from the No Child Left Behind education law.

Minnesota's Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius is in Washington to attend the speech and to make a case for the state. Cassellius is one of 20 state school chiefs expected at the event.

Minnesota has already applied for a waiver asking, in part, to freeze a measurement called "adequate yearly progress," or AYP. Cassellius says schools that don't make AYP are unfarily labeled as 'failing.'

Minnesota has not released an updated list of failing schools this year, hoping the waiver would free them from doing so. But without word from the federal government, Cassellius said this week she will reluctantly release that list next week to comply with a state law.

However, she will make another pitch to the government today.

"Hopefully I'll get the chance to impress upon the President and the secretary, again, the urgent nature of Minnesota," Cassellius said. "Minnesota really does need relief from this broken law."