With Congress stalemated on how to revamp the No Child Left Behind law, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told reporters he will act before the start of next school year to give schools across the nation some relief from the most onerous parts of the law. A story in the New York Times today suggests that Maryland and other states that have embraced Duncan's reform measures would be the first to be given waivers from NCLB. This might provide the greatest incentive yet for the state's school systems not to try to wiggle out of Maryland's Race to the Top provisions.