Education gap fix takes more than a law, Richard Rothstein says
Expecting even the best schools and teachers to bear the brunt of closing the achievement gap is "absurd and dangerous." That's Richard Rothstein's take on the federal No Child Left Behind law.
Expecting even the best schools and teachers to bear the brunt of closing the achievement gap is "absurd and dangerous." That's Richard Rothstein's take on the federal No Child Left Behind law, which mandates that by 2014 all states must close the gap in reading and math test scores between children of different races and income levels. He argued that disparities between low- and middle-income families have an impact on a child's achievement and must be addressed.
"These children are going to achieve at different levels when you give them a test . . . no matter how high the quality of education," Rothstein said. "You're not going to close the gap starting at age 5. By then, it's too late."
Published Friday, May. 12, 2006