We don't need no education

No Child Left Behind Loophole

Once again the No Child Left Behind deal is causing trouble, stirring controversy, and generally being a pain. But this time it doesn’t have to do with the retardedness of a central government dictating on a local level, or the lack of funding to back up a retarded sweeping proposal.

In fact, I think this is a controversy made up by the Associated Press because they were tired of writing about bunnies and eggs. Oh no, look at the institutional discrimination. Schools are failing to report the test scores of minorities.---Minority is the key word here. We’re not talking traditionally underrepresented groups, we’re talking actual minorities. When there is a tiny percentage of a certain group within a certain school.

Now, they hit it on the nose somewhere buried in the middle of the article. But why let facts get in the way of a good story?

Suppose, for example, that a school has 2,000 white students and nine Hispanics. In nearly every state, the Hispanic scores wouldn't be counted because there aren't enough to provide meaningful information and because officials want to protect students' privacy.

I’d be pissed if my test scores were reported as part of a tiny group. This is why those Palos Verdes schools never get their scores in the paper, they’re just too small. How many minorities do you think are going to those schools?? Just about zero, I’d say.

And to push their point, without giving them the facts, the AP elicits a response from the poor underrepresented minorities:

"It's terrible," said Michael Oshinaya, a senior at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in New York City who was among a group of black students whose scores weren't broken out as a racial category. "We're part of America. We make up America, too. We should be counted as part of America."

Who is dying to have their scores published?? Maybe a few of those valedictorians want recognition. But, come on! If you’re desperate for your score to be published, do something about it. This IS America. Money talks. So take some of it, buy and ad in your local paper, slap your name an picture and score on it, and get yourself seen. As far as I’m concerned, the less info the government publishes about me, the better.