NCLB and Diversity in Schools

Abstract

Diversity is key policy concept in education and public policy, although its specific meaning is subject to debate. This chapter analyzes the meanings of and the roles played by diversity in the implementation and impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Although NCLB does not specify how measurements are to be made to determine Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), nor does it designate the groups used in assessing learning gaps, state practices in the classification of individuals into subgroups and measurement of AYP call for the calculation of confidence intervals for proportions, an approach of questionable validity given the lack of randomness of school assignment. Instead, an approach using measurement error to decide whether a school, group, or individual achieves a certain threshold is suggested as an alternative. Emphasizing the school or creating categories of students based on personal characteristics may not be the soundest approach to developing human capital and promoting the success of all, however. Diverse students call for diverse goals and modes of accomplishing these goals; the model for developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for special needs students may be a best approach for individualizing education for every child.