Summary
The No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law in 2001 with the intention of improving America 's education system. The act has many implications for Vietnamese Americans.

Background
Vietnamese Americans face many unique challenges to education due to culture and language barriers. Vietnamese also suffer from the “Minority Myth” which stereotypes Asian Americans as an ethnic group that typically excels in school and thrives in professional life. The result of such misconceptions is that policymakers have become derelict to the educational needs of Vietnamese Americans.

In addition to these challenges, Vietnamese students' academic success is also jeopardized by teacher and peer discrimination. A 2000 study of Santa Clara County , CA discovered that 11.5% of Vietnamese Americans in the sample felt that teachers discriminated against them. This response was the highest among other refugee and immigrant groups in the study (the average being 5%).

Another problem is that educational facilities lack the resources necessary to provide instruction for Vietnamese students. For example, a 1997 report found that there were only 72 bilingual Vietnamese teachers in California, while the number of Vietnamese students reached 47,663 (ratio 1:662).

Effects of the No Child Left Behind Act on Vietnamese Americans
The No Child Left Behind Act will require schools to:

— Test all students identified as English Language Learners (ELL) in English.

— Provide testing in Vietnamese for Vietnamese ELLs for up to two years.

— Make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports that categorize students by race, ethnicity, English proficiency, and socioeconomic status.

— Create after-school programs that include activities such as: English as a Second Language (ESL), Family literacy services, and other programs that emphasis language skills and academic achievement for ELLs.

*Excerpt from SEARAC