From Gotham Gazette:More than half of all New York City public school students are immigrants or the children of immigrants, and one out of four is not a native English speaker. How well do the city schools serve those hundreds of thousands of kids?
...the Department of Education thinks it has made important strides in this area. In an analysis released earlier this month, the department highlighted a substantial increase in the number of English language learners becoming proficient in English.
But, as the Inside Schools blog noted, the report includes other less rosy figures not featured in the press release. It found that "the less dramatic gains by middle school ELLs, relatively flat Regents scores and flat graduation rates (31.6 percent in 2003 and 30.8 percent in 2007) underscore the immediate demand for deeper, more focused attention."
English language learners lag on some key measures, according to Deycy Avitia of the New York Immigration Coalition. For example, she told Gotham Schools, only 5 percent of middle school English language learners meet state standards on the language arts test.
Photo by Lissame on Flickr.
22 comments:
Should be a requirement for kids to speak English and inoculation for school enrollment.
If the parents don’t like it they can GTF out the country.
The #1 culprit is these illegal Central American criminals who REFUSE to speak English in the household and obey our laws.
To them school is a free babysitting service.
----5 different kids with 5 different fathers, hooking, stripping , selling drugs (thats anothe story with these whores. Im sure Italian Girls has had an eyeful
The Asians and Indians at least try to be civil and Ameican + their kids are pretty smart.
Im convinced the problem is genitic, these people coming out the Central American are 1 step above the cavemen of 500BC.
----AND THATS NOT OUT PROBLEM.
I went to P.S.17 in the early 90s. I knew only a few words in English. Over the course of two months I began to rapidly understand the language. By the end of the year English became my primary language. I thought only in English. Meanwhile the ESL kids were still having trouble with the basic concepts and some continued in ESL for years thereafter.
Immersion is the name of the game, nanny programs such as ESL hinder one's ability to develop independently.
To the above poster, most of those Central Americans are part Asian. Most Central Americans are mestizo which is a hybrid of white and Native American. The Native Americans immigrated here from Asia in prehistoric times.
I am all for language instruction, and I believe that English speaking children should start instruction in a foreign language in grade school so that they can fully participate in the international community, travel, do business etc. as adults.
That being said, I have run across a ludicrous sense of entitlement from some immigrants. The worst was an inquiry about services for a Bukharian who spoke that language and Japanese, but no English.
When I explained that my organization had a staff of only 200 people, none of whom spoke either language, I was met with indignation, "How can you provide services..." (of course, the English-speaking friend was asking for services we don't provide and didn't hear me when I re-directed her to the correct party).
We hire a translator when we have a large group for our services...if it's only you, it's your responsibility to figure it out.
Speaking English was once a requirement for citizenship. I don't know if it still is, but people who want to speak their own languages only should stay in their original lands.
How insane is it to expect American citizens to learn every one of hundreds of foreign languages, but the immigrant has no responsibility to learn Englsh?
This is BS - how does any youngster especially a 4-6 year old cope with children of his own age who only speak English - they absorb it - they participate in play - they pick up the language rapidly!
45 yrs ago I did not speak a word of English - in 3 months I became a native speaker with my parents language a far distant 2ond.
This issue is about entitlement and it stems from the illegal community not the legal aliens residents whom are noEnglish speakers.
Interesting to see moronic comments like Joe's are still around.
I've seen teachers completely ignore the ESL kids on a daily basis. Since they didn't take any tests, who cares?
But I did notice a distinct difference betweem Hispanic and Asian kids. I hope this doesn't come across racist but Asian kids were far more driven to learn English than the Hispanic kids. Whether that was the kid or their family, I'll never know. My hunch is that if the family isn't learning and doesn't put any priority to learn English, then why bother? After all, kids do what they see their parents doing and not what they are told to do. I've noticed Asians are just so respectful, value education enormously and really expect A LOT from their kids. Almost too much.
Joe said...
"Im sure Italian Girls has had an eyeful"
Like I said before, I could write a book.
My first language was Italian. I didn't really learn English until about 4 years old. My mother didn't speak English but really wanted to learn. She had books and records to help her. She learned it in a couple of years. Some of her neighbors were not so driven. She's got some Italian and Greek neighbors who've lived her like 35 years and can't speak English. There is no excuse for that.
And if you put signs other languages you are only encouraging people to not go out and learn. Another reason my mom learned so fast. Ther were no signs in Italian anywhere. She HAD to learn. If things keep gping this way, in a few decades this country will be unrecognizable.
"Prehistoric times" ?
Most these people are are still pre-historic. Good with weapons, sticks, blunt objects, rape, women beating, females knocked up by age 12.
Do I need go on ?
This is all FACT
Any school teacher will tell you armed guards will soon be needed in classrooms at the rate things are going.
These unruly wild kids learn this violent "cave people" activity from what goes on in most these uncultured illegal Mestizo households.
These Mestizo kids are gonna be monsters, gang members, street thuggs doing anything they can to get $$ in 15 years !!
It takes centurys to domesticate whats born wild. If it was raised wild odds are it cant be domesticated.
We only get a good 60-70 years lifespan, who needs to live around this GARBAGE or to die over them !!
All the hospitals are gonna be bankrupt next (just like the banks)
Its getting to the point where you may as well live in Solmalia.
The Chinese, Greeks and Irish dont put up with this crap why should we ?
"----5 different kids with 5 different fathers, hooking, stripping , selling drugs (thats anothe story with these whores."
ALL THE TIME! Parent-Teacher Conferences are always hysterical. The (single) moms will bring all their kids with them. The kids all look completely different from one another. They all have different dads. If you look on their bith certificate, no dad was ever listed. Isn't that horrible?
When I first began teaching, I would notice some of the the kids had the same last names as the moms. So I foolishly thought these people were married and had normal families. Then my much more seasoned mentor explained that the moms name the kids after themselves and not the dad depending on the status of the relationship. If the mom HATES the dad, the kid's last name is like hers. If the mom is still with the dad, then the kid'd last name matches his. Weird, right? A few times, a mom would keep changing the last name of the kid.
That's why the schools can NEVER improve. Not until these families improve themselves.
But I did notice a distinct difference betweem Hispanic and Asian kids. I hope this doesn't come across racist but Asian kids were far more driven to learn English than the Hispanic kids.
You won't hear any phony accusations of "racism" from me or most of the rest of us. You're simply telling it like it is, according to "your lying eyes".
I walked past Stuyvesant High School last Friday, and observed the kids hanging out after classes. For a minute, I thought I was in Hong Kong or Taipei, Taiwan. Almost ALL of the kids hanging out were Chinese. I think I saw maybe 6-8 white kids, dressed "hippie-ish".
But of course, you can't point out these sorts of observations in "polite conversation", for fear of being branded a racist.
This country is really becoming a sinking ship. I'm considering abandoning it when I reach retirement age, and moving some place that has a large European population. Ironically, I've heard some good things about Argentina.
"The Native Americans immigrated here from Asia in prehistoric times."
The proper term for these people is not Native Americans but Beringians. (They migrated from Asia via the Bering Strait.)
The true Native Americans were the white Solutreans who FIRST came to the North American continent from Europe during the Ice Age via the North Atlantic ice pack.
The Asiatic Beringians murdered the Caucasoid Solutreans and supplanted their civilization.
"This country is really becoming a sinking ship. I'm considering abandoning it when I reach retirement age, and moving some place that has a large European population. Ironically, I've heard some good things about Argentina."
That's EXACTLY what I see happening in like 50 years. I think people of European descent will return there. I don't know if I could see myself living in Italy though.
I wouldn't mind a warmer climate, though. Wherever that may be.
Can you imagine those European countries closing their borders to US?
Maybe. I've lived to see illegal Irish immigrants return to Ireland. Anything is possible.
Hey,Wade, let me post some stuff about Argentina on Youtube (if I have the time - super bizy these days). I love the Nazi inspired goosestepping of Juan Peron (if I can find it).
Argentina has been at the threshold of being an advanced economy since, oh say, 1930.
When you get older, even the Snowbirds return to NYC. Something about medical care and the like.
I have no problems with Asian doctors.
Think of the money the city could save if they got rid of the ESL classes, the translated forms in fourteen languages, the translators and special teachers. The city would have tons of money if they made these kids learn English. Immersion is the best way for kids to learn the language. As for the parents, hold English classes in the libraries and grammar schools in the evening. Stop coddling these people. If you went to another country, you would be expected to learn that language. That is a show of respect for the country you are visiting or living in. The only allegiance these illegal aliens have is to our almighty dollar. Entitlement is the key and it has to stop. Taxpayers can't afford them anymore.
The Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Theodore White once said that the English language was the GLUE that held the country together.
We must make English the official language of the country.
Stop the ESL for the little ones. They pick up the language within 3 months. They can curse you out in 4 months. Teach the parents how to speak English. Stop spending all this money on 50million languages and let them all learn ENGLISH like our ancestors had to do when they came to this country! Nothing was handed to them. They worked and built this country. They did not have their hand out to get a check handed to them for doing nothing. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
Make English the Official Language of the United States. If the foreigners don't like this, that's too bad. Out of respect for America, they should want to learn our language and assimilate.
THIS IS AMERICA!!!!!!!!
AND ANYONE THAT WANTS TO COME HERE SHOULD SPEAK ENGLISH ONLY. BACK IN THE DAY IF YOU CAME HERE YOU WERE TAUGHT IN ENGLISH NO ONE HAD SPECIAL ESL CLASSES. ENOUGH WITH THIS CRAP IT DOES NOT WORK AND THEY NEED TO GO BACK TO THE BASICS. IT'S ALL THE LIBERALS TALKING OUT THERE AND MESSING UP THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS.
Hey,Wade, let me post some stuff about Argentina on Youtube... I love the Nazi inspired goosestepping of Juan Peron.
Hmmm... wonder why Wade likes Argentina...
The true Native Americans were the white Solutreans... The Asiatic Beringians murdered the Caucasoid Solutreans and supplanted their civilization.
Hasn't the koolaid knocked you out yet, georgie? And when is the Mother Ship arriving to take you away?
Does anyone out there really believe that immigration is not a resource issue? It's not about betrodden people coming to these shores. It's about forming a cheap labor pool of vulnerable people who will never progress up the economic ladder because they don't speak the language of business and finance in the US: English.
We hemmorhage millions in this country for translation services, including, for God's sake, our ballots. We simply don't have the money to spend on this Tower of Babel. If you translate into Spanish, you also need to do it in Chinese...wait! What about the Koreans? Enough is enough.
We taxpayers are being bled dry while politicians grandstand on diversity and other BS. The Catholic Church has also put its nose into the secular issue of tending to individuals who have brazenly flouted our immigration laws. How much better off we would be if the $$ spent on this cycle of failure were dedicated to teaching English to those who truly wish to become a part of this country and contribute something.
I had a friend who followed her beloved to the Netherlands. Not only do the Dutch refuse to use any other language but their own, but they also charge a great deal of money for the privilege of getting language instruction.
So many groups provide free English language tutoring. If you intend to make America your home, avail yourself of the training.
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