The minority students still lag behind
The NCLB has attempted to create an enabling environment for all the students. In the process, those from the minority groups still lag as the whites continue to benefit. The NCLB should have been specifically set to cater to the racially segregated.
Federal underfunding
The federal government has continuously underfunded NCLB within the states. Despite being required to comply fully with the set standards, the states are also forced to follow the guidelines as the government may suspend all other forms of funding (Krieg, 2011). It means that the quality of services offered under this program is greatly compromised. As such, racism has not been properly dealt with in the institutions of learning.
NCLB tests
The states have the autonomy of developing the tests, and this has created a loophole for manipulation. As noted earlier, states could compromise on the quality of services to secure funding. It could culminate in the creation of substandard tests bent on making the students pass. In the final analysis, the disadvantaged students whose interests the government had when establishing the NCLB Act are once again left out.
Poor Mathematics performance
The testing policies have affected the performance in Mathematics among these students in a negative way. It has been noted that minority students register high dropout rates, which are attributed to the testing procedures (Caref, 2007). Many of them do not take Mathematics at higher academic levels. The NCLB came into being to boost the performance of subjects such as Mathematics. Today, it is the same program that is frustrating for the students.
Test oriented teaching
The program tends to encourage scoring in tests as opposed to gaining information (Randolph & Wilson-Younger, 2012). All the concerted efforts for imparting skills are geared towards passing tests at the expense of curriculum implementation. The result is a crop of students who have less knowledge than their level should allow. This puts the minority students in a worse position than they were before the introduction of the NCLB Act.
Conclusion
The NCLB Act has not successfully responded to the issue of racism in American schools. Racism is rampant and widespread within the spheres of education. It has a historical dimension and needs a well-calculated move for it to be eliminated. The education of the minority groups remains behind. It is partly contributed by NCLB’s advocacy for equality in education, which to some extent maintains the status quo.
As long as the funding is insufficient, the program will not bear any fruits (Randolph & Wilson-Younger, 2012). It is because the necessary resources are never adequate, and many activities have been done away with. The tests advocated by the program are unreliable and subject to a lot of manipulation at the state’s level. The true progress of the minority students cannot therefore be determined.
Performance in subjects like Mathematics has been brought down by the program. The minority students are shying away from Mathematics instead of excelling. This alone defeats the purpose for which the program was established. The essence of teaching for knowledge acquisition has changed completely. Equipping the students with skills for passing tests is the order of the day. Based on the foregoing, the gap between the majority and the minority students continues to widen (Blank & Council of Chief State School, 2011). This further adds to racism where existing prejudices are confirmed as being true.
References
Blank, R. K., & Council of Chief State School, O. (2011). Closing the Achievement Gap for Economically Disadvantaged Students? Analyzing Change Since No Child Left Behind Using State Assessments and the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Council of Chief State School Officers. Web.
Caref, C. (2007). Math and NCLB: No Child Left Behind’s High-Stakes Testing has Particularly Adverse Effects on the Math Teaching and Learning of Low-income Students of Color. Illinois Institute of Technology. Web.
Krieg, J. M. (2011). Which Students Are Left behind? The Racial Impacts of the No Child Left Behind Act. Economics of Education Review, 30(4), 654-664. Web.
Randolph, K., & Wilson-Younger, D. (2012). “Is No Child Left Behind Effective for all Students?” Parents Don’t Think So. Online Submission. Web.