To the editor:

My compliments on the editorial board noting that the achievement gap comes from more than just whatever faults exist in the No Child Left Behind Act.

Last week’s Alexandria Times editorial (Children left behind, August 18) pointed to students home life as a source of the disappointing test scores found for minority students. “It is not the school systems job to monitor students time playing video games at home, the editorial stated. Closing the achievement gap begins outside the classroom, and it finishes behind the desk.” 

I would like to add another possible reason why the achievement gap is widening: diversity quotas and affirmative action programs. It can be argued there was a time when such was needed, but in an era that no longer sees institutional racial discrimination, they seem outdated at best. If I were raised believing I did not have to do my best to get into a college or to get a job, then I would not bother doing it. Its human nature and perhaps a factor to this ever-widening gap in educational success.