The No Child Left Behind Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The No Child Left Behind Act - Essay Example However, for some students, the noble idea of not leaving a child behind has not yet been taken seriously with the general public and a lot of educational systems which includes special education. Furthermore, the progressions of credentials, assessment, categorization, placement, and instruction have truly meant to put down their cultural and linguistic differences. With that, it is apparent that school systems overlook multiculturalism and diversity especially in educational intervention, where the minority students are placed, which means children are left behind (Obiakor 2000). Unfortunately, there are some political figures that believe the no child left behind program does not work because minority groups in school systems cover forty percent of the student body and there are lack resources and accommodations for them to learn on an even level with the other students. This creates a major problem with these children learning properly and effectively, which indicates that that number of the growing diversity is being ignored. In fiscal years 2002 through the current 2004, Congress authorized between $26.4 billion and $32 billion to be spent on the "No Child Left Behind" initiative. While Bush's budget request rose in each of those years, it still fell far short of the authorization. And in the past two fiscal years, the president's request of about $22 billion was less than what Congress had appropriated the year before. Both years, Congress provided more than Bush requested. Critics also say that the way the "No Child Left Behind" federal grading system works isn't fair in some cases because it requires yearly progress not just from a school but from every subgroup of students, including those with disabilities or ones who speak English as a second language (Bush stumps for 'No Child Left Behind). The growing number of infants and toddlers of minority groups is increasing every year. Below consists of some statistics that sheds light on the issues, which needs to addressed immediately by educators and families of minority older children, infants and toddlers (Diversity in Early Childhood Intervention Leadership Current Facts and Challenges). The U.S. Department of Education (2003a) found that 38.8% of public school students were minorities in 2000, up from 29.6% in 1986. In addition, the number of students who spoke a language other than English at home rose from 6.3 million in 1979 to 13.7 million in 1999 (U.S. Department of Education, 2003b). Minority teachers, on the other hand, accounted for only 13% of the faculty. The number of ethnically and linguistically diverse students is continuing to grow. By the year 2005, children and adolescents of color will make up as much as 40% of the U.S. youth population. Schools with high concentrations of black and Hispanic students uniformly have the most teachers with the least experience and the least qualifications for the subject they teach. Infants and toddlers ages birth to 2 who are served under IDEA, Part C, reflect the growing diversity of the U.S. The children represented are African-American (15%), Hispanic/Latino (18%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4%) and American Indian/ Alaskan (1%). Special education teachers who served primarily students ages 3-5 classify themselves as Asian (2%), Black (5.8%), White (90%) and "other" (2%). 6.4% consider themselves Hispanic and 93.6% do not. "Young people from the least well off demographic groups form a