This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Fusarelli, L. D. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The Potential Impact of the No Child Left Behind Act on Equity and Diversity in American Education

North Carolina State University

With its overriding emphasis on accountability, testing, sanctions, rewards, and public school choice, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) raises both the hopes and fears of educators concerned with the impact of the legislation on minority groups, on multicultural curricula, and on equity issues within public education. Drawing on evidence from state-level systemic-based accountability initiatives, coupled with a detailed analysis of the legislation itself, this article assesses the potential positive and negative effects of NCLB on diversity, multiculturalism, and equity issues in schooling. After examining the strengths and weaknesses of the legislation, this article concludes that the promise of NCLB to enhance equity and opportunity by reducing the achievement gap will likely remain unfulfilled due to insufficient funding and an overly simplistic definition of the achievement gap.

Key Words: No Child Left Behind Act • diversity • equity • multiculturalism

Educational Policy, Vol. 18, No. 1, 71-94 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0895904803260025


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Skerrett and A. Hargreaves Student Diversity and Secondary School Change in a Context of Increasingly Standardized Reform American Educational Research Journal, December 1, 2008; 45(4): 913 - 945. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. H. Sherman No Child Left Behind: A Legislative Catalyst for Superintendent Action to Eliminate Test-Score Gaps? Educational Policy, September 1, 2008; 22(5): 675 - 704. [Abstract] [PDF]

				L. Schoen and L. D. Fusarelli Innovation, NCLB, and the Fear Factor: The Challenge of Leading 21st-Century Schools in an Era of Accountability Educational Policy, January 1, 2008; 22(1): 181 - 203. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. Gayles Race, Reward, and Reform: An Implicative Examination of the Florida School Recognition Program Educational Policy, July 1, 2007; 21(3): 439 - 456. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. Watanabe Displaced Teacher and State Priorities in a High-Stakes Accountability Context Educational Policy, May 1, 2007; 21(2): 311 - 368. [Abstract] [PDF]

				L. D. Fusarelli Restricted Choices, Limited Options: Implementing Choice and Supplemental Educational Services in No Child Left Behind Educational Policy, January 1, 2007; 21(1): 132 - 154. [Abstract] [PDF]