Has No Child Left Behind “Left Behind” Minority Students?

James Hall / July 07, 2010

Increased government control has once again failed to improve the quality of education for America’s minority students.

According to Charles Rose, general counsel at the Department of Education who testified at a recent Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing, Native American students are the country’s most underserved. Rose went on to say at the hearing, during which revisions to the No Child Left Behind Act were being considered, that this act had succeeded only at exposing the poor performance of disadvantaged and minority students.

The statistics for Native American students support their statements. Only 50 percent of Native American students graduate from high school each year, compared to 75 percent of white students. In 2007, Native American fourth-graders scored 11 points lower than their white peers in math. This spread was even wider for eighth-grade students at 17 points. (more…)