Washington lawmakers continue to search for areas of improvement with No Child Left Behind. {snip} The foundation of the discussion is how to better serve the 5 percent of students and schools that have the lowest performance and achievement gaps wider than the norm. {snip}

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According to the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, the 2009 dropout rate for African Americans stood at 9.3 percent compared to whites at 5.2 percent. {snip}

The Manhattan Institute released a study in 2006 that surveyed the 100 largest school districts in the United States. It found that only 48 percent of African American males earn a high school diploma; 11 percent less than African American females. More disconcerting is the news that 1 in 4 black males who drop out of high school will end up incarcerated.