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“We are in the midst of an enormous economic challenge, the most important thing we can do is make sure that our kids are prepared for this new economy,” the president said.

The president issued an executive order allowing states to opt out of certain provisions of the federal program enacted under President George W. Bush.  Obama said he could not wait for Congress to act because he fears another generation of young Americans will fall behind their peers in other countries.

According to the Washington Post, the program currently “calls for every student to be proficient in math and reading by 2014, with the risk of escalating sanctions for schools that do not comply.”  Many state education systems consider this goal to be unrealistic and it is expected that as many as 45 states will seek an opt-out waiver for this provision.

In order to receive a waiver, states have to prove that they are making rigorous attempts to turn around the bottom 5 percent of under-performing schools.  The changes will also allow states more flexibility in using $1 billion in funds.

But critics, like former Sec. of Education Margaret Spellings, are concerned that Obama’s changes will actually hurt students instead of help them.

“The reason this whole waiver issue is before us is [the states] told us they were going to do something and didn’t do it. And now they want a waiver against their own promises.”

The new provisions still require states to test all children in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school.