No Child Left Behind Act Penalizes High-Poverty Black Schools

President Bush signed NCLB, tying federal funding to standardized test performance. Schools serving majority Black and low-income students — already under-resourced — faced sanctions, restructuring, or closure when test scores lagged. Critics documented 'teaching to the test' narrowing curriculum in Black schools while wealthier districts maintained arts and enrichment. The law accelerated closure of historically Black neighborhood schools in cities like Chicago and Philadelphia.