learning english
Arizona having such a large influx of spanish speakers, it is apparently up to the state of Arizona to help the children learn english.
As the Arizona Republic reports today:
In a victory for Gov. Janet Napolitano, a federal judge ruled Thursday that the state must deposit $500,000-a-day fines for missing an English-learners deadline into a special fund to help those children master English-language skills.
The decision by U.S. District Judge Raner Collins could translate into millions of dollars more for students.
It also gives Napolitano the upper hand in further negotiations over how best to meet the needs of about 154,000 children with English deficiencies.
The fine is a result of a lawsuit brought against the state claiming that there weren't enough funds provided to help spanish speaking children learn english. The state eventually lost.
I'm not quite sure why this bothers me so much. I feel that it's discriminatory to other non-english non-spanish immigrants to this country. Since when is it the state's responsiblity to teach these kids enough english to pass the required state tests? It also seems wrong that if the parents want to learn english, they have to pay for classes. But they can dump their children off at public school and expect them to be taught english.
Shouldn't these special english learning classes be a separate program that the children must enroll in, pay some money for, then graduate BEFORE going on to public schools? I don't think in this "it's not my fault society" we can actually do something like that.
I remember when I was in the first grade, I was having trouble with vocabulary. I had to go to special classes after school, and if I didn't make enough progress, they were going to hold me back a grade. Fortunately, the remedial (there's a word you don't use anymore) classes helped, and I moved on. I don't think my parents had to pay for the classes, as they were part of the school system.
As the Arizona Republic reports today:
In a victory for Gov. Janet Napolitano, a federal judge ruled Thursday that the state must deposit $500,000-a-day fines for missing an English-learners deadline into a special fund to help those children master English-language skills.
The decision by U.S. District Judge Raner Collins could translate into millions of dollars more for students.
It also gives Napolitano the upper hand in further negotiations over how best to meet the needs of about 154,000 children with English deficiencies.
The fine is a result of a lawsuit brought against the state claiming that there weren't enough funds provided to help spanish speaking children learn english. The state eventually lost.
I'm not quite sure why this bothers me so much. I feel that it's discriminatory to other non-english non-spanish immigrants to this country. Since when is it the state's responsiblity to teach these kids enough english to pass the required state tests? It also seems wrong that if the parents want to learn english, they have to pay for classes. But they can dump their children off at public school and expect them to be taught english.
Shouldn't these special english learning classes be a separate program that the children must enroll in, pay some money for, then graduate BEFORE going on to public schools? I don't think in this "it's not my fault society" we can actually do something like that.
I remember when I was in the first grade, I was having trouble with vocabulary. I had to go to special classes after school, and if I didn't make enough progress, they were going to hold me back a grade. Fortunately, the remedial (there's a word you don't use anymore) classes helped, and I moved on. I don't think my parents had to pay for the classes, as they were part of the school system.
posted by Jenn @ 09:40
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