The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law argues that
disaggregating student achievement data into race, income, and other important categories is necessary because it reveals our nation's wide and unacceptable achievement gaps.They go on to say
It is estimated that nearly 2 million students across the nation have scores that went uncounted. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, states have the discretion to leave out scores of students if the subgroup is statistically small or "game the system."
From my own discussions with an educator at one of the world's top high schools, here's the flip side of that argument. The Chicago area boasts one of the world's very best high schools — an absolute top-notch school with students that out-score other students from around the world in math and science. But that very same school is in danger of being certified as a "failed school" by the No Child Left Behind Act because a literal handful of students from a minority group just moved into the school district. Their schooling is not yet up to the standards of the rest of the students, but the bureaucracy of No Child Left Behind Act doesn't give the high school any time to get new, disadvantaged students up to speed.
Is disaggregation useful? The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law argues that it is, but that disaggregation be used to prevent schools from hiding data about minorities. The school districts who have to actually educate children will also find disaggregation useful — but to prevent the numbers from obscuring the real progress and real achievements of the school. Given the different agendas of these two constituencies but the agreement on disaggregation, perhaps the two sides on this debate will be able to come to common ground.
Topics: · education · government
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