Setbacks in Education
Although the federal law No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has faced implementation problems, its goal to help disadvantaged students — such as non-English speakers — is fair and reasonable.
A new education law must make changes to improve NCLB. However, the most serious proposal so far eliminates the national priority to guarantee that poor, minority, non-English-speaking and disabled children have access to get quality education.
Bill H.R. 5 of the House of Representatives, named the Student Success Act, is a re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and its latest version, the 2002 NCLB law. The measure was first presented back in 2013, when it did not receive the support of Democrats. It looks like history will repeat itself when the House votes on it shortly.
The Republican proposal basically eliminates the role of the federal government. It gives states freedom to choose their student evaluation tests, turns federal education aid into a single grant package to be distributed as each state sees fit, and creates funding “portability,” to follow students individually. This will take funds away from needy districts when the student moves to a different school.
The budget for H.R.5 shows that needy children have stopped being a priority. The Title I program, which covers this population, was allocated $800 million dollars less than in 2012.
The new measure limits funding by submitting it to pre-established cuts, allowing no increases. Ironically, while these Congress members are trying to prevent these cuts to affect the defense budget, they are making sure that they are applied to education.
Lastly, states receiving the package will not be obligated to spend it on education; they can use the funds for any other purpose.
Education has a strong local base statewide but, historically, it has been the federal government’s responsibility to guarantee the protection of minorities. Programs such as Title I and NCLB reflect that priority. Far from helping Latino students become successful, bill H.R. 5 will take resources and attention away from them. This is a setback in education
