Afternoon Announcements: August 8, 2011

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has announced that he will unilaterally override the centerpiece requirement of the No Child Left Behind school accountability law, that 100 percent of students be proficient in math and reading by 2014, the New York Times reports.

According to U.S. News & World Report, universities are beginning to offer online high school diplomas.

The Washington Post reports that huge achievement gaps persist in DC schools.

Four of the lowest-performing schools in Montana recently got some good news: All four saw improvement in the annual state tests that measure how well tenth graders are doing in math, reading and science, reports the Billings Gazette.