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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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'No Child' Law Fails to Narrow Racial Gap

Minority students lag behind whites despite overall improvements since 2004

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(Newser) – The achievement gap between white and minority students has not been changed by federal No Child Left Behind initiative, the New York Times reports. Scores from a federal test considered to be the most accurate yardstick of reading and writing proficiency show that elementary students have improved across the board since the law went into effect in 2004. But the racial gap remains stubbornly wide despite the costly, controversial educational requirements.

The results show "we still have a lot of work to do," said Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who plans adjustments to the act before it comes up for reauthorization later this year. Supporters of No Child say that the improved results among elementary students show that the program's approach is working. The gains were not carried on into high school, however, a trend likely to lead to calls to switch the focus of the act.

Supporters of the No Child Left Behind Act say that improvements among elementary school students demonstrate the success of the act's approach.
Supporters of the No Child Left Behind Act say that improvements among elementary school students demonstrate the success of the act's approach.   (Getty Images)
The latest National Assessment of Education Progress has found that the achievement gap between white and minority students persists.
The latest National Assessment of Education Progress has found that the achievement gap between white and minority students persists.   (Shutter Stock)
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Trends after the law took effect mimic trends we were seeing before. But in terms of watershed change, that doesn’t seem to be happening.
- G. Gage Kingsbury, director of the Northwest Evaluation Association
in Portland

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1 comment
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radnip
May 1, 09 6:58 PM CDT
The most distressing thing I've seen, i.e. in my personal experience, are children and adults who do not take responsibility for their own education. Instead, they say such things as "the school's not teaching that yet," "I don't have to know that yet," "They don't teach that," and "It's a bad school so I can't do anything about it." I have purchased supplementary text books and study guides for different people and cannot think of one who used it. One whole family never read the textbooks, never did the exercises, and sent back the DVD courses hubby sent them...and still complains about their bad schools. Obviously, they do not check out the links I send them to online educational aides and knowledge guides, and yet they know how to email and play games. Luckily, in my family, we understand that if we want to know something, we discover it ourselves, instead of waiting for it to fall on our heads in such a way that we understand it without any effort. Reply
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