Improvements for Minority and Low-Income students under NCLB.

An independent study from the Center on Education Policy indicates that all students, including black and low-income students, are performing better on state reading and math tests since the introduction of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2002. Yet in the face of this positive news, some members of Congress would like to give NCLB a rest, suspending its authority until agreement can be reached on reauthorization. The NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act (H.R.6239) would thwart the progress made toward a future in education where all students are guaranteed the basic civil right of a quality education.

According to the Campaign for High School Equity, progress reported in this study demonstrates the urgent need to strengthen and reauthorize NCLB immediately, not let it become a stalemate in Congress. Students of color are more likely to attend high schools that are significantly re-segregated, under resourced, have fewer qualified teachers, and offer less rigorous courses. In turn, more than half of the nation’s 1.2 million dropouts are students of color.

Now is the time to strengthen America’s high schools so that all students graduate with the skills they need for college, work, and life. The Campaign for High School Equity is taking this opportunity to reiterate its call for the following federal policy reforms, as defined in the organization’s A Plan for Success: 1) make all students proficient and prepared for college and work; 2) hold high schools accountable for student success; and 3) redesign the American high school.