NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam hopes the approval of Tennessee's waiver from the No Child Left Behind education law boosts the morale of teachers and other educators frustrated by the federal measure's strict and sweeping requirements.

President Barack Obama announced Thursday that Tennessee is among 10 states to receive the waiver. The main goal of the law was to get all students up to par in reading and math by 2014, which critics have said is unrealistic.

Haslam told reporters after a speech at a luncheon hosted by The Associated Press and the Tennessee Press Association on Thursday that he had heard from teachers who said their students were improving, but their school was still labeled failing.

Said the Republican governor: "That would be demotivating to me if I'm a teacher and making real progress ... and yet I'm labeled a failure."