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Item(s) found: 184
Lawmakers Seek to Loosen No Child Rules
Date CapturedWednesday August 29 2007, 10:51 AM
AP Nancy Zuckerman reports, "The proposal being circulated would allow states to measure how well students first learning English are doing at acquiring language skills instead of judging them on standard reading tests. The substitute test would only be allowed, however, for two years after the law is enacted. During that time, states would be expected to develop alternative tests for limited-English speakers - such as tests using simplified English."
Yonkers schools make new push to involve parents
Date CapturedSaturday August 18 2007, 9:46 AM
Journal News reports, "School officials say they want to change the reception parents get from the district's employees to build more parental involvement in the schools. This year, the district will make an extra effort to reach out to more parents by extending more information, courtesy and invitations to get involved."
School Translators Can Help Parents Lost in the System
Date CapturedMonday August 13 2007, 8:37 AM
NY Times reports, "Forty-two percent of the parents of children in the school system [New York City schools], the country’s largest, are not native English speakers, and communicating with them is an immense challenge. That is especially the case at a time when the system is offering ever-increasing school choices but is also requiring students to go through a complex admissions process for high school and certain programs. So prodded by advocates for immigrants, Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein created a unit three years ago to translate a never-ending flow of school documents, like press releases, report cards and parent surveys, into the eight languages most commonly spoken in New York, after English: Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Bengali, Arabic, Urdu, Korean and Haitian Creole. It has since expanded to an office with 40 employees and a $4.5 million budget, and is the largest of its kind in any school system in the United States, said Kleber Palma, the unit’s director."
Tribes say No Child Left Behind leaves no room for culture
Date CapturedSaturday August 11 2007, 12:03 PM
Santa Fe New Mexican reports, "State [New Mexico] Secretary of Education Veronica Garcia said schools in isolated rural areas, where many tribal and pueblo schools are located, often have difficulty recruiting teachers. The government needs to support ways to encourage Native Americans to become teachers so they can return to teach in their tribes and pueblos, Garcia said. The law also disregards tribal sovereignty by forcing schools to adhere to state academic standards, said Samantha Pasena, a recent graduate of the Santa Fe Indian School. In addition to issues facing Native Americans, the panel also brought up the concern that under No Child Left Behind, special-education students are forced to take the same tests as regular students."
GRADUATION MATTERS: How NCLB allows states to set the bar too low for improving high school grad rates
Date CapturedThursday August 02 2007, 8:21 AM
Despite the national focus on reforming America’s high schools, most states are setting woefully low goals for improving graduation rates and are not setting goals for ensuring that more low-income, minority, disabled and English language learner students graduate, according to a report released today by The Education Trust.
No Child Left Behind thwarts refugees
Date CapturedWednesday August 01 2007, 9:06 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle guest essayist Henry Padrón opines, "These students have spent most of their lives running and in refugee camps where they may have received some but little formal schooling. Many of these children are suffering from post-traumatic shock disorder and a host of health issues — not to mention their academic needs based on NCLB expectations. This is a fatal shortcoming of NCLB that needs further attention. So, when analyzing the performance data as per NCLB, we need to take all of these factors into consideration."
So Much Paperwork, So Little Time to Teach
Date CapturedWednesday July 04 2007, 10:39 AM
NY Times contributor Samuel G. Freedman, a journalism professor at Columbia University writes, "The situation was most acute for teachers in schools that did not have a staff administrator to handle the voluminous paperwork required for English language learners, as the students are called. Teachers in such schools were responsible for completing more than a dozen different forms, evaluations, assessments and reports that came variously from the levels of district, city, state and federal government, and grading standardized tests."
This Is a Test. Results May Vary.
Date CapturedWednesday June 13 2007, 10:25 AM
NY Times reports, "Mr. Tobias [directs the Center for Research on Teaching and Learning at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education} said officials generally did not analyze high scores as aggressively as falling ones, and his remark betrays a weary understanding of educational politics. 'Why would you take away your own good story?' he said."
Funding for adult ESL
Date CapturedTuesday June 12 2007, 7:42 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Immigrants wanting to avoid long waiting lists for publicly-funded English as a Second Language classes should receive government grants so they can afford tuition at private English academies, according to one Queens official."
Recommendations to Reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Date CapturedSunday June 10 2007, 1:20 PM
Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)
Literacy, really
Date CapturedMonday May 28 2007, 8:59 AM
The Journal News opines, "For starters, school leaders must have high expectations for all staff and students, and quickly supply academic interventions for struggling students. Mills [New York State Commissioner of education] also said that infusing literacy, the ability to read and write well, into every facet of schooling must be paramount. Written answers, say, on a chemistry test, actually have to be properly constructed with correct spelling and grammar. "Literacy,'' Mills said, "must be emphasized across all subjects.'' The other testing area that "most people predicted doom in,'' the commissioner said, was the performance this year of "English Language Learners'' who have been in the country at least a year and now are required by NCLB to take the same English tests as peers; previously students could get a waiver of three years of more. More than double the number of such students took the tests this year - 72,000-plus - yet a higher percentage met or exceeded the standard than last year, 18 percent to 16.2 percent statewide. Not great, but not doom."
N.Y. SCHOOLKIDS AT HEAD OF THE CLA$$
Date CapturedFriday May 25 2007, 8:59 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "According to the data, which considered the 2004-05 school year, New York state spent $14,119 per student, outpacing its neighbors and leaving the national average of $8,701 in the dust."
A GLIMMER OF HOPE
Date CapturedThursday May 24 2007, 7:26 AM
NY Post opines, "Previously, English as a Second Language (ESL) students didn't have to take the reading test until after their third year in a U.S. school. In New York City, this meant a sudden jump in students taking the test despite not being proficient in English - from 24,000 last year to nearly 55,000. Obviously, kids still learning the language will have trouble passing an English reading test. Factor out those students, and the city's third-grade pass rate is virtually unchanged from last year. The total results for all kids in grades 3-8 in city schools were also virtually unchanged - 50.7 percent passing last year, 50.8 percent this year. Take ESL students out of that mix, and it becomes a rise from 53.2 percent to 56 percent."
MIDDLE SCHOOL PERFORMANCE IMPROVES ON 2007 GRADE 3-8 ENGLISH TESTS
Date CapturedWednesday May 23 2007, 8:56 AM
Achievement in grade 3-8 English has improved overall this year, according to results from newly released State tests. The improvement is notable in middle school. Grades 6-8 improved. Grade 6 increased by 2.8 percent, grade 7 improved by 1.4 percent, and grade 8 increased by 7.7 percent. Fewer students also are showing serious academic problems in all grades except grade 3. The number of English Language Learners taking this year’s tests more than doubled from 2006. This increase was caused by new federal rules under NCLB in which all ELL students who have been in the country for at least one year are now required to take the tests. Nevertheless, the performance of ELL students dipped only modestly in each grade, a better result than many predicted. The increase in the number of students tested was especially large in elementary school; scores declined overall in grades 3 and 4. The change in rules also affected the overall performance of Hispanic and Asian students. Results for students with disabilities improved overall. The decline in the percentage of students who showed serious academic problems was especially large.
Klein smears immigrant kids
Date CapturedWednesday May 23 2007, 8:23 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Mayor Bloomberg and his schools chancellor, Joel Klein, have reaffirmed that old Mark Twain saying about the three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics. Using a PowerPoint presentation filled with glitzy graphs and color charts, Klein reached a new low yesterday by attempting to blame a sharp drop in this year's third-, fourth- and fifth-grade reading scores on thousands of immigrant pupils."
Regents board touts rise in English scores
Date CapturedWednesday May 23 2007, 7:56 AM
Times Union reports, "State education officials on Tuesday applauded what they said were rising scores for reading and writing, especially in the middle-school grades, which are typically characterized by a decline in academic accomplishment."
Ed groups push for joint NCLB changes
Date CapturedFriday May 18 2007, 8:36 PM
Six of the nation's top education groups, including the National School Boards Association, jointly urged Congress to reauthorize NCLB to focus on five major areas of change: • A redesign of the federal accountability framework to improve public schools rather than abandon them. • Valid, reliable, unbiased assessment systems that are aligned with state standards. • Maximum flexibility for states and school districts to address the assessment and learning needs of English language learners and students with disabilities. • Helpful interventions tailored to the needs of schools and communities rather than the current system of punitive sanctions. • Determination of the qualifications of principals, teachers, and other education professionals by states and local school districts.
Formula for class success
Date CapturedWednesday May 09 2007, 10:18 AM
NY Daily News Erin Einhorn reports, "Nearly 700 underfunded schools will see an influx of $110 million next year under the city's new student funding formula, officials announced. As principals across the city began scrutinizing their 2007-08 budgets yesterday, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein laid out specifics of the new "weighted" system designed to create more equity."
CASHING IN ON KIDS
Date CapturedWednesday May 09 2007, 9:55 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "According to the plan, a school could receive as little as $3,788 for a first-grader who lives above the poverty line, did not transfer from a failing school and is proficient in English. But a first-grader who lives in poverty, transferred from a failing school and cannot speak English could funnel $8,212 to the same school's coffers. Depending on a child's special needs, a school could expect to receive an additional $2,121 and $8,637. While schools already receive additional city money to address student needs - including learning and English-language difficulties - budgets have never been so specifically weighted to student traits."
Teachers want change in education policy
Date CapturedThursday April 26 2007, 9:36 AM
Observer-Dispatch reports, "New York teachers are asking Congress to: •Allow states to develop appropriate language-arts tests for English-language learners and special-education students. English-language learners have to take the same language-arts tests as their peers, even though they may not have a full command of English. •Distinguish struggling schools from those that are successful but need limited assistance, rather than putting all schools with problems into the same category. •Stop punishing entire schools and districts based on the low test scores of a small number of students. •Adequately fund testing and accountability mandates in the law. New York received $911 million less in funding last year than what Congress authorized when it passed the legislation in 2002, NYSUT said."
GRAD TIDINGS: CITY'S RATES UP, BUT 50% OF HS KIDS ARE 'LATE'
Date CapturedThursday April 26 2007, 8:42 AM
NY Post KENNETH LOVETT in Albany and BILL SANDERSON and DAVID SEIFMAN in New York City report, "The new numbers also show that just 19 percent of students with disabilities in New York City graduate in four years compared to a 37 percent statewide average, and that English-language learners have actually seen their on-time graduation rates drop in the last three years, to 27 percent statewide and 22 percent in the city. Also, there is a significant gender gap, with 56 percent of female students and just 43 percent of male students in New York City graduating on time."
Charter school finds home, still needs state approval
Date CapturedFriday April 20 2007, 9:22 AM
Kingston Freeman reports, "Washington [co-applicant for the Teaching Wisdom and Responsibility Charter School of Higher Learning] said she has been working on the charter school plan for two years and has secured space on O'Neil Street to house the school. The school would target students at risk of being left behind academically and will only admit students who scored at Levels 1, 2 or a low 3 on New York state's four-level English language arts or math exams. Washington hopes the school eventually will serve grades kindergarten through eight but said it will start with just kindergartners and fifth-graders. The following year, those students would become first and sixth graders and new classes of kindergartners and fifth-graders would come in, she said. The process the would continue until the school served all grades."
Mayor Revises Some Points of School Budget Proposal
Date CapturedFriday April 20 2007, 9:01 AM
NY Times DAVID M. HERSZENHORN reports, "The deals also call for the city’s Education Department to establish committees to improve parent relations, to comply with a new state law requiring the city to reduce class sizes, and to provide oversight of the new budget process. In addition, the administration agreed to work with the City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, on improving middle schools."
$IGNS OF PEACE IN TEACHER TALKS
Date CapturedFriday April 20 2007, 8:53 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "Labor, immigrant and political activists who had complained about an ongoing overhaul of the school system softened their stance at a hastily called City Hall press conference upon winning concessions on how schools will be funded. Under the deal, a city plan to funnel more money to historically low-performing and underfunded schools would not factor in teachers' salaries and would allocate more cash for students not proficient in English."
School Records on Special English Classes Are Called Works of Fiction by Critics
Date CapturedWednesday April 11 2007, 8:10 AM
NY Times Samuel G. Freedman, professor of journalism at Columbia University writes, "According to official school documents, amplified by interviews with a teacher at the school and a union representative, the school tried at one point to create a paper trail to make it appear it was offering E.S.L. classes that were not being held."
Fund the Child: A Better Way to Help Disadvantaged Students
Date CapturedTuesday April 10 2007, 10:55 AM
HumanEvents.com contributor Dan Lips writes, "In January, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed that Gotham adopt three new policies: 'backpack funding,' school-based management, and widespread school choice. This bundle of reforms -- known as the 'weighted student formula' -- embodies a new approach to education finance."
'CHARTERS' RACE IS ON
Date CapturedMonday April 09 2007, 8:31 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "Advocates of the alternative public schools say they have been deluged with inquiries from potential operators seeking advice on meeting new demands in the measures that raised the cap from 100 to 200 schools last week."
No Child Left Behind Act: Education Assistance Could Help States Better Measure Progress of Students with Limited English Proficiency
Date CapturedFriday March 23 2007, 1:44 PM
GAO-07-646T, March 23, 2007. The GAO report recommended that Education (1) support research on accommodations, (2) identify and provide technical support states need to ensure the validity of academic assessments, (3) publish additional guidance on requirements for assessing English language proficiency, and (4) explore ways to provide additional flexibility for measuring annual progress for these students. Education generally agreed with our recommendations and has taken a number of steps to address them.
Latinos Online: Hispanics with lower levels of education and English proficiency remain largely disconnected from the internet
Date CapturedThursday March 15 2007, 6:28 PM
By Susannah Fox, Pew Internet & American Life Project and Gretchen Livingston, Pew Hispanic Center find, "Differences in levels of education and English proficiency explain much of the difference in internet usage between Hispanics and non-Hispanics. Internet use is uniformly low for whites (32%), Hispanics (31%), and African Americans (25%) who have not completed high school. However, 41% of Latino adults have not finished high school, compared with about one in ten non-Hispanic whites and one in five African Americans. The same pattern is evident at the other end of the spectrum of educational attainment. College-educated adults all have equally high levels (about 90%) of internet use regardless of race or ethnicity, yet the college educated make up a smaller share of the Latino population when compared with non-Hispanics. Language is also a powerful factor, as internet use is much higher among Latinos who speak and read English fluently than among those who have limited English abilities or who only speak Spanish. Language is not an issue in the white and black populations as the shares of adults with limited English abilities is quite small. A statistical analysis of the survey results shows education and language are each highly significant factors when other differences in group characteristics are taken into account. When the different levels of language or education are controlled statistically, Hispanics and non-Hispanics show similar levels of internet use."
Monitors will oversee state testing in Pa. schools
Date CapturedMonday March 12 2007, 6:45 AM
Philadelphia Inquirer reports, "This year, for the first time, the state Department of Education will send monitors to about 1 percent of the 3,120 schools where the tests will be given. They will determine whether schools comply with everything from test security regulations to how instructions are given and what accommodations are made for students with learning disabilities, English-language learners, and others who need special arrangements."
Bilingual school embraces both its languages
Date CapturedThursday March 08 2007, 10:44 AM
Post-Standard reports, "Seymour needs to prove itself with the state Education Department. In January 2006, the state put Seymour 'under registration review' because its scores were too low on the state fourth-grade English language arts test. The dual-language program should help those scores, and the state has agreed to the expansion of Seymour's program, Perkins said. The benefits of the dual-language program go beyond academics, Perkins said. 'We're seeing our students being able to integrate together, no separation of our racial or ethnic groups,' she said. Lowengard envisions the Seymour program to be a model."
Some children left behind? National educational initiative encounters opposition
Date CapturedSunday March 04 2007, 10:26 AM
Daily Freeman reports, "Corrective action under the law includes replacing school staff members who are relevant to the failure to make adequate yearly progress; instituting a new curriculum; or extending the school year or day. A NUMBER of schools in the Hudson Valley are continually affected by the No Child Left Behind Act."
U.S. details funds at risk if Virginia English learners aren't tested
Date CapturedWednesday February 28 2007, 2:34 PM
AP reports, "The U.S. Department of Education has detailed how much money Virginia school divisions could lose if they disobey a law that requires children who are trying to learn English to take the same reading tests as their native-speaking peers, state officials said Wednesday."
DUAL LANGUAGE LEARNING GAINS SUPPORT; Pass along language skills, immigrant parents told
Date CapturedMonday February 26 2007, 10:06 AM
Journal News reports, "When their children are learning English, immigrant parents get advice that surprises them: Don't stop speaking your native language at home. Speak as much as possible, and teach as much as you can. The message draws on research showing that literacy skills learned in one language can be applied in another. That's long been the basis of bilingual education, but even children who aren't enrolled in bilingual programs are being urged to develop their primary language alongside English."
Feds will withhold funds if Virginia English learners aren't tested
Date CapturedFriday February 23 2007, 7:33 AM
AP reports, "A top U.S. Department of Education official said Thursday that Virginia school divisions will lose federal funding if they do not comply with a federal law that requires children struggling to learn English take the same reading tests as their native-speaking peers.'
Virginia high-immigrant schools decry NCLB rule for English learners
Date CapturedTuesday February 20 2007, 8:44 AM
AP reports, "Officials in high-immigrant school districts are taking issue with the U.S. Department of Education's requirement that children still trying to learn English take the same reading tests given to their native-speaking classmates."
White Plains program offers immigrants help with children's education
Date CapturedTuesday January 16 2007, 5:49 AM
The Journal News reports, "A new family dinner-workshop run by the White Plains Youth Bureau aims to integrate immigrant parents into their children's schooling and the community. The 12-week Family Excel, or 'Avance Familiar' in Spanish, usually meets Wednesday nights at the White Plains Middle School's Highland campus to answer parents' questions about homework, education and other city services."
She works to ease transition of Hispanic students
Date CapturedMonday January 15 2007, 9:11 AM
Journal & Courier reports, "Mida Grover knows what it's like to start school in a different country with a different culture and with a completely different system. She came to the United States from Venezuela when she was a senior in high school. "It was a total traumatic experience," she said. Now Grover, as the Hispanic/Latino advocate/liaison for the Lafayette School Corp., works to help students and their parents get acclimated into Indiana culture and the Lafayette schools."
New policy on NCLB testing is flawed
Date CapturedSunday January 14 2007, 7:12 AM
Uticaod.com opines, "It's not wrong to expect the best of every student. But applying a blanket standard to school districts, especially those whose English-speaking and special education populations vary significantly, is like producing a universal windshield and then wondering why it doesn't fit every car."
Albany Capital Region's schools want to leave this list behind
Date CapturedThursday January 11 2007, 4:54 AM
Times Union reports, "Because it is so easy to get on the list, school officials have complained that it unfairly tars them. For example, schools can generally be listed if 95 percent of their 'subgroups' aren't tested. But that can be hard for small schools with just a handful of minority students or those with disabilities; one or two absences on test day can skew the results. 'God forbid there is an outbreak of the flu ... and they don't make their 95 percent participation rate they can be put on the list,' said Maria Neira, vice president of the New York State United Teachers, the state's major teachers union, which has long criticized NCLB on several fronts. Additionally, Neira said, the requirement that test scores rise year after year -- even for schools that are already doing well -- seems to set up a lot schools for failure."
Put down the pitchforks and hear Badillo out
Date CapturedSunday January 07 2007, 7:31 AM
NY Daily News ANDREA BATISTA SCHLESINGER writes, "If we're ever going to have systemic change, we need all parents, no matter their race or background, to be involved in the school system - and not just ankle deep. It's not enough to check homework each night. So how do we do it? First of all, the school system makes it far harder than it needs to be for Hispanic parents. It took years to get the Department of Education to agree to provide translation services to parents."
No Child Left Behind Act flawed but likely to stay
Date CapturedSaturday January 06 2007, 2:31 PM
sbsun.com reports, "Before he was a teacher in Inglewood, Sanders was a black kid growing up in Birmingham, Ala., in the era of Jim Crow laws. His mom had a seventh-grade education, and his dad was illiterate. But his family valued education, and he worked hard in school. Sanders says No Child Left Behind unfairly blames schools and teachers for poor student performance. He says the law should do more to address societal issues affecting children in urban areas, including poverty and what he describes as a lack of parental interest in education."
NYSED Update on Limited English Proficient/English Language Learner (LEP/ELL
Date CapturedTuesday January 02 2007, 8:09 AM
New York state education Commissioner Mills has issued a field memorandum regarding the Regents and Department's efforts to advocate for change in the federal policy that requires all English language learners (ELLs) who have been in this country for more than one year to take their state's English language arts tests. Even as the Department works to change the U.S. Department of Education's policy, we must follow the law and implement the policy during this coming year. The field memorandum identifies a number of additional steps the Department has undertaken at various levels to help our ELL students.
Change in the air for California schools
Date CapturedWednesday December 27 2006, 8:27 AM
AP reports, "Scott [Sen. Jack Scott, chairman of the Senate Education Committee] said the state's first priority in considering changes should be teacher quality. It should ensure that all students have access to the best teachers, rather than having them concentrated in wealthier schools that already have high achievement rates, as they are now. 'I'm working very hard on this matter because it may be the key civil rights issue of the 21st century: What are we doing to address the unequal quality of teaching?" he said. "Here we have the students in the low-performing schools, many of them are English-language learners, they come from poverty homes, and yet we haven't distributed our teachers in such a way that the best teachers are teaching in those schools.'"
Immigrant Children Shielded From State Tests, but for Whose Protection?
Date CapturedWednesday December 27 2006, 3:37 AM
NY Times reports, "Like Mr. Noguera [professor of sociology at Steinhardt School of Education at New York University], Diane Ravitch, the education historian, says she thinks testing students after one year may not be a bad idea, but is concerned about how the scores are used. Comparing this year’s Port Chester fourth graders with last year’s based on the upcoming test will put this year’s students and the schools needlessly to shame because last year’s classes did not have many immigrant children tested. But comparing how well students do this school year with how those same students do a year later, Ms. Ravitch said, would provide a telling reflection of the school’s progress. The federal government has started a pilot program in such so-called “growth model” comparisons in Tennessee and North Carolina. What many experts seem to agree on is that No Child Left Behind testing policy lacks a fine enough filter for the nuances of immigrant education."
Congress should fix, not nix, No Child Left Behind measure
Date CapturedSaturday December 23 2006, 9:43 AM
The Press Democrat reports, "Some critics have called the very notion of 100 percent proficiency an oxymoron - something that, if proficiency is to have any meaning, can't be achieved. And since the states themselves define proficiency and set their own standards, some, such as Wisconsin, have lowered their standards to make the targets. California, which has among the highest standards in the nation, is not one of them, despite some legislative efforts to water them down. But as seemed evident from the start, the federal mandate on schools to get students in all ethnic, economic and educational subgroups to full proficiency is a near impossibility, especially for learning disabled students and immigrants who have been in U.S. schools for three years - or perhaps five years - or less."
BADILLO LASHES LATINOS
Date CapturedTuesday December 19 2006, 9:30 AM
NY Post Carl CAMPANILE reports on Badillo and his new book, "'Hispanics have failed to assume responsibility for their children's welfare . . . Hispanic parents rarely get involved with their children's schools. They seldom attend parent-teacher conferences, ensure that children do their homework or inspire their children to dream of attending college,' he adds. Badillo writes that many Spanish-speaking immigrants are hard workers, but that to get their children to move up the economic ladder would require a cultural shakeup of sacrifice and 'self-improvement' by putting education first - as Asian and other U.S. immigrant groups have."
Ohio State Education Board wants say in school-funding reform
Date CapturedWednesday December 13 2006, 9:25 AM
Plain Dealer reports, "The report calls for school-based budgeting to ensure that money gets to the buildings that need it most. It also says the state should align financial decisions with 'best practices' - educational initiatives that have proved effective. The report also calls for the state to more aggressively 'weight' funding so the children who are hardest to educate get the most money."
New Jersey state report lays foundation for new school funding formula
Date CapturedWednesday December 13 2006, 9:17 AM
NewJersey.com reports, "Using data from 2004-05, the report set a total base per-pupil amount of $7,367 for K-8 districts and $8,496 in K-12 districts. It then added thousands more for children with disabilities, from impoverished homes, and with limited English skills. For instance, a child with severe disabilities would cost up to seven times above the base, or nearly $60,000 in a K-12 district. Children of poverty cost about 50 percent more, or almost $13,000."
Baltimore school board approves creation of 6 charter schools
Date CapturedWednesday December 13 2006, 8:28 AM
Baltimore Sun reports, "The new charters will be preparing to open amid an environment of uncertainty about how they will be funded. The city school board is appealing a ruling by the state Court of Appeals that school systems must give their charter schools the same funding as other schools. The city spends the equivalent of about $11,000 per child in its regular public schools. Charter schools receive $5,859 per child in cash and the rest in services that the school system provides, such as special education and food. Many of the schools want the $11,000 in cash."
Virginia schools superintendent asks feds for NCLB deadline extension
Date CapturedTuesday December 12 2006, 1:17 PM
AP reports, "Virginia's superintendent of public instruction made a direct appeal to federal education officials to give the state a year to implement new reading tests for children who are learning English."
Help more immigrants learn English
Date CapturedMonday December 11 2006, 7:33 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "More New Yorkers need to boost their English skills than ever before, but far too few of them are receiving the services to do so. In Monroe County, the state-run English for Speakers of Other Languages program hasn't come close to keeping pace with demand: Just 11.3 percent of the county's 18,239 adults with limited English skills were enrolled in state-funded ESOL programs last year. Statewide, there were only 86,433 seats for the 1.6 million adult New Yorkers with limited English proficiency, and long waiting lists for ESOL programs in dozens of communities. Investing in English-language instruction offers payoffs for workers and employers alike."
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT Education’s Data Improvement Efforts Could Strengthen the Basis for Distributing Title III Funds
Date CapturedFriday December 08 2006, 1:45 PM
GAO 07-140 recommends: To address issues related to Title III allocation, we recommended that Education (1) include clear instructions about how to provide correct and complete state data on the number of students with limited English proficiency assessed annually for proficiency in English; (2) develop and implement a transparent methodology for determining the relative accuracy of the two allowable sources of data—ACS or state data on the number of students with limited English proficiency assessed annually—for Title III allocations to states; and (3) seek authority to use statistical methodologies to reduce the volatility associated with the ACS data.
Arizona schools shorted millions in federal funding
Date CapturedFriday December 08 2006, 1:32 PM
Douglas Daily Dispatch reports, "Arizona schools are being shorted millions of dollars because of how federal officials parcel out funds to help students with limited English proficiency, according to a new report."
After Council Balks, Bronx Schools Project Is Withdrawn
Date CapturedThursday December 07 2006, 3:22 AM
NY Times reports, "The small schools have been widely criticized for taking fewer special education students and children with limited English proficiency than other schools. The city’s admissions rules allow officials in the small schools to control admission to their freshman class, giving preference to students who express interest by attending open houses or information fairs. Any remaining slots are distributed to applicants randomly by a computer system. "
Immigrant teens pose challenge for schools
Date CapturedWednesday December 06 2006, 8:10 AM
NorthJersey.com reports, "Young immigrant students in North Jersey and elsewhere are catching up with their English-speaking peers within a few years. But those who arrive here during their middle- and high-school years are failing at alarming rates, educators and state officials say. The performance gap -- in part a result of a dearth of programs and qualified teachers for adolescents -- could carry consequences for the region, experts say."
Small Schools Exclude Many Immigrants
Date CapturedMonday December 04 2006, 8:37 AM
Gotham Gazette reports, "It is the policy of the New York City Department of Education to allow a small school to exclude English-language learners (and special education students) during its first two years of operation. This is permitted, according to the department, so that the schools can build up the necessary infrastructure to provide the instructional services these students require. But, as it turns out, many of the older small schools still do not offer programs for these students, according to a new report issued by The New York Immigration Coalition (the organization for which we work), Advocates for Children, and seven immigrant community-based organizations."
Migrants learn to help their kids
Date CapturedMonday December 04 2006, 8:15 AM
Arizona Republic reports, "Parent Institute for Quality Education, or PIQE, is a nine-week course that teaches mostly Spanish-speaking immigrant parents how the state's public school system works and how to advocate for their child's education. The California-based program claims success with hundreds of thousands of parents and their children."
SUNY New Paltz rates high for Hispanic graduates
Date CapturedMonday December 04 2006, 4:55 AM
Times Herald-Record reports, "The association [American Association of State Colleges and Universities] picked out the 10 most successful of those schools. New Paltz was among the five that had the most success at narrowing the gap in graduation rates between Hispanic and non-Hispanic students, according to a press release."
The Weighted Student Formula Determines School Funding in Hawaii
Date CapturedThursday November 30 2006, 7:47 AM
KHNL reports, "Each student enrolled is allocated a certain amount of money. If a student has special needs such as a disability or speaks English as a second language, they are assigned more money. In theory, the formula is designed make sure each school receives enough money to provide for every student's needs. In practice, it has run into some challenges."
So Many Schools, So Few Options:How Mayor Bloomberg’s Small High School Reforms Deny Full Access to English Language Learners
Date CapturedWednesday November 29 2006, 7:08 AM
Key findings: ELLs Are Not Given Full and Equitable Access to All Small High Schools, Parents of ELLs and Students Reported Barriers in the High School Admissions and Enrollment Process, The Small School Policy for ELLs Appears to be Forcing ELLs to Remain in Large High Schools that Do Not Have Services to Meet Their Needs , Small Schools are Not Being Created in Queens, in which the Largest Number of ELLs Reside. A joint report by: The New York Immigration Coalition & Advocates for Children of New York In collaboration with: Chhaya Community Development Corporation Chinese Progressive Association Chinese-American Planning Council Council of Peoples Organization Haitian Americans United for Progress Make the Road by Walking Metropolitan Russian American Parents Association November 2006.
New York City Schools hit on immigration bar
Date CapturedWednesday November 29 2006, 7:01 AM
NY Daily News Erin Einhorn reports, "The report charges the vast majority of small schools either don't have services for so-called 'English language learners' (ELLs), who comprise almost 12% of the high school population, or exclude them altogether. It also says that immigrant families have less access to information about options for their kids. The city Education Department allows new schools to exclude both ELLs and special-ed students in their first two years because the schools are too new to properly serve those kids. It's a policy being reviewed by the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, which launched a probe after a complaint from a citywide group of high school parents. "
KIDS HIT LANGUAGE BARRIER
Date CapturedWednesday November 29 2006, 6:56 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "Researchers could not say how many of the 184 new small schools created under Bloomberg exercise the two-year exclusion policy. But they found that 41 percent of 126 small schools surveyed do not offer any English-as-a-Second Language or bilingual services - apparently in violation of city, state and federal laws. 'The problem isn't just access,' said Chung-Wha Hong, director of the New York Immigration Coalition. 'Sometimes they can get in the door but they then face a long-term problem because there are no services for them.' The city Department of Education insisted that only a handful of small schools did not have a single ESL student enrolled."
New Jersey school funding reform panel to discuss proposals
Date CapturedSunday November 26 2006, 1:18 PM
AP TOM HESTER Jr. reports, "While the school funding formula hasn't been announced, education department officials presented a plan under which experts determine how much it costs to educate New Jersey children. That cost - about $8,500 for K-12 schools - would be used as the basis for state aid allocations to schools. Funding for special education, children with language problems and transportation would be added as needed. - The number of senior citizens in a community would be considered when state aid for schools is decided."
Los Angeles Schools Not Meeting Consent Decree Special Education Goals
Date CapturedSunday November 26 2006, 8:17 AM
ABC7.com reports, "The LAUSD has not sufficiently improved graduation rates, raised test scores or provided timely translations of student access plans in Spanish and other languages."
No Child Left Behind law may be flawed, but it should not be abolished
Date CapturedSaturday November 25 2006, 8:44 AM
The Mountain Press opined, "Schools that can't teach children to read at grade level are failures. They are failing the students entrusted to them to teach. Setting reasonable standards and making teachers and administrators work hard to meet those standards is neither unrealistic nor unfair. However there are flaws in the No Child Left Behind law, to be sure. It makes little distinction between regular and special-education children. It does not allow flexibility for children with established reading and learning difficulties and disabilities. And it sets the guidelines for what degrees and experience teachers must have to teach certain subjects. It's not always easy to find good math and science teachers these days. Those legitimate concerns should lead to reforms of the law, not the killing of it."
Overview of Public Elementary and Secondary Students, Staff, Schools, School Districts, Revenues, and Expenditures: School Year 2004-05 and Fiscal Year 2004
Date CapturedTuesday November 21 2006, 2:21 PM
This NCES report contains information from the 5 Common Core of Data (CCD) surveys: the 2004-05 state, local education agency, and school nonfiscal surveys for 2004-05 and the state and local education agency school finance surveys for fiscal year 2004. The report presents data about the students enrolled in public education, including the number of students by grade and the number receiving special education, migrant, or English language learner services. Some tables disaggregate the student data by racial/ethnic group or community characteristics such as rural - urban. The numbers and types of teachers, other education staff, schools, and local education agencies are also reported. Finance data include revenues by source (local, state, and federal) and total and per-pupil expenditures by function. Sable, J., and Hill, J. (2006). Overview of Public Elementary and Secondary Students, Staff, Schools, School Districts, Revenues, and Expenditures: School Year 2004–05 and Fiscal Year 2004 (NCES 2007-309). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
Virginia Gov. Warner aids in education testing
Date CapturedTuesday November 21 2006, 9:59 AM
Dailypress.com reports, "Sen. John W. Warner, R-Va., sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings asking her to give Virginia more time to develop a new test to meet the demands of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Warner's letter comes a month after the state board of education approved changes to the state's testing program to comply with the law."
Report: New York falls short in literacy classes
Date CapturedWednesday November 15 2006, 6:36 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "The Center for an Urban Future and the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy said that while the number of immigrants has increased in the Rochester area, and in nearly every corner of the state, just 5.3 percent of adult New Yorkers with limited English skills had enrolled in state-funded courses to improve their skills in 2005. The report says there were 86,433 seats in state-funded English for Speakers of Other Languages programs last year, and 1.6 million working-age adult immigrants with limited English skills in the state."
Schools to lobby against English testing change
Date CapturedMonday November 13 2006, 5:55 AM
The Journal News reports, "Before this school year, students who spoke little English had up to three years to work on their proficiency before taking the standard reading and writing test that others take in grades 3 to 8. Now, students have just one year's exemption. That will hurt the children and their schools, critics say."
Bilingual education reforms urged
Date CapturedSaturday November 11 2006, 6:13 PM
Buffalo News reports, "The director of multilingual education would oversee programs to serve children whose predominant language is something other than English. While Buffalo students speak more than 40 languages, most bilingual students are Spanish-speakers."
Rochester teachers speak
Date CapturedThursday November 09 2006, 8:24 AM
Campus Times, the student newspaper of the University of Rochester writes, "The main focus of the lecture was the Jumpstart Program, an innovative 10-day program that helps students who recently entered the country learn 'survival skills' for the upcoming school year. The student may have just arrived from a dangerous situation in a third-world country and they are not prepared to function in an American school setting. As Ehtesham put it, after going through this program, a student who arrived in the country a week ago has the experience of a student who attended the school the year before."
Discussion of Innovative Approaches to Teaching English Opens Urban Education Series Sponsored by Warner School
Date CapturedFriday November 03 2006, 10:03 AM
Miriam Ehtesham and Henry Padron, two bilingual teachers in the Rochester City School District (RCSD), will describe original approaches to teaching students who are immigrants and refugees at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, in the Gowen Room of Wilson Commons on the University of Rochester's River Campus.
Parental apathy – or just poverty?
Date CapturedTuesday October 31 2006, 12:58 PM
The News-Sentinel columnist Kevin Leininger writes, "The statistics seem to support the connection between poverty and academic achievement, or the lack of it. Of the 11 schools on probation, almost all are at or near the top when ranked by the percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals. (See chart.) And when there are exceptions to that ranking, other demographic factors may be at work, Coutts said. At South Wayne Elementary, nearly half of students moved at least once last year, playing havoc with academic continuity. The mobility rate at Lakeside Middle School was 33 percent. And about 8 percent of the students at Maplewood Elementary list a language other than English as their primary tongue – an impediment to doing well on state-mandated English-language tests."
NYSUT calls for federal relief for new English learners
Date CapturedSaturday October 28 2006, 8:07 AM
New York Teacher reports, "The union [NYSUT] believes the new testing would be a violation of the 1974 landmark civil rights Supreme Court decision Lau v. Nichols. 'It is our opinion that using the same ELA tests designed for, validated and normed on English-proficient students to measure the ELA performance of their ELL peers is to blatantly deny them the civil rights protected under this decision,' Neira [NYSUT Vice President and UFT representative] said. 'It is our opinion that in the United States using the same test is not equal treatment for our ELL students.'"
All-year school an intriguing idea for East Ramapo
Date CapturedThursday October 26 2006, 6:15 AM
Journal News opined, "The practical gains offered by an all-year academic calendar are particularly enticing for a district like East Ramapo. Students who are just mastering English are not left for two months without speaking their new language. Certainly, this means they lose less ground and test better in their new language. In New York state, those new English speakers must take standardized tests after just a year of instruction."
An education gap: Arizona scores higher
Date CapturedWednesday October 25 2006, 6:33 PM
East Valley Tribune reports, "Arizona Learns does not factor certain groups of students into its equations. The performance of some special education students doesn’t count, and neither does the performance of English learners who have been in the country for less than than three years."
The Children Left Behind
Date CapturedTuesday October 24 2006, 7:44 AM
The Cornell Daily Sun contributor Laura Taylor, a senior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University writes, "The achievement gap between whites and Latinos and blacks is staggering. At the end of high school, black and Latino students have reading and mathematics skills that are roughly the same as white students in eighth grade. Beyond that, black students are half as likely as white students to have a college degree by age 29, and Latinos are only one third as likely."
National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO)
Date CapturedMonday October 23 2006, 8:42 AM
English with barriers
Date CapturedMonday October 23 2006, 8:39 AM
El Diaro la Prensa reports, "This start-and-stop English, on top of a shortage of classes, stifles the growth of workers. It hinders the potential to earn more money and advance. And it can make it difficult for parents to support the educational needs of their children. Limited English proficiency also curbs participation in the electoral process, and in emergency situations, can make the difference between life or death."
Schools may isolate some foreign students
Date CapturedSunday October 22 2006, 9:02 AM
Sun-Sentinel reports, "Some St. Lucie County [Florida] children speaking languages other than English at home may find themselves at an immersion institute next year to boost their literacy skills. But some parents say the plan smacks of segregation for foreign-born kids. Top testing, finance and facilities officials are working on key details of the plan that effectively might pool some Hispanic and other foreign children together and keep their FCAT scores off some schools' books. If the plan moves forward, it could change based on funding and classroom space."
Experts say bilingual students do better
Date CapturedFriday October 20 2006, 9:44 AM
NorthJersey.com reports, "Garcia [associate professor of American Civilization at Brown University] said surveys have found a majority of first- and second-generation Latino parents want their children educated in both English and Spanish. But bilingual education would benefit everyone, he said, because over time students educated in two languages do better on standardized tests than those who speak and study only one language."
Standardized tests can send students who fail into tailspin
Date CapturedWednesday October 18 2006, 6:36 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle guest essayist Dan Drmacich, prinicipal School Without Walls, Rochester School District writes, "Students who are poor, who are from English-as-a-second-language families, who have special education needs, who desire to have a vocational education or who have unique interests or learning styles, have suffered under the one-size-fits-all Regents education process. Even those students who do well on Regents tests suffer because they are often denied the opportunities to focus their studies on areas of personal interest, citizenship and other lifelong-learning skills. Each person who agrees should voice his or her concerns to school district officials, state and federal representatives. Only through active citizenship can we create an education system that truly meets the needs of our students and our society."
Texas Police Offer Gang Education in Spanish
Date CapturedThursday October 12 2006, 8:39 PM
Kfoxtv.com reports, "Through labeled pictures of gang members and their common dress codes, parents learned all they need to know, and how to keep their children away from gangs."
Recreate New York high schools
Date CapturedMonday October 09 2006, 7:31 AM
The Journal News writes, "Today's students can't wait decades for high school to become meaningful schooling — it has to be aggressively restructured now. With tougher standards, expanding curriculum and new technology demands in their faces, that means high-schoolers should be supported in taking five, even six years to earn high school diplomas — including those who aren't classified 'special-ed' or pegged as English-learners. And bright or otherwise gifted students should be allowed opportunities to graduate in less than four years."
Teaching preschoolers is good for everybody
Date CapturedTuesday October 03 2006, 7:41 AM
The Denver Post reports, "Researchers have solidly documented what happens to children who do not get mental, physical and environmental stimulation during those crucial early years: Their cognitive skills are woefully inadequate, and they wind up behind in first grade. That is where the education gap first appears between poor and wealthy children. As taxpayers, we pay for a public school education system that starts too late."
School and Parent Interaction by Household Language and Poverty Status: 2002-03
Date CapturedWednesday September 27 2006, 3:35 PM
NCES: Language minority parents may face a number of challenges when trying to communicate or become involved with their child’s school. This Issue Brief describes school-to-home communication practices and opportunities for parent involvement at school as reported by parents of U.S. school-age students from primarily English- and primarily Spanish-speaking households during the 2002–03 school year. Among the findings: A greater percentage of students in English-speaking households than in Spanish-speaking households had parents who reported receiving personal notes or e-mails about the student; receiving newsletters, memos, or notices addressed to all parents; opportunities to attend general meetings; opportunities to attend school events; and chances to volunteer. Differences were still apparent after taking poverty status into account. This Issue Brief was prepared by Christine Enyeart, Juliet Diehl, Gillian Hampden-Thompson, and Marion Scotchmer of the American Institutes for Research.
NCLB's flaws cast Binghamton High in bad light
Date CapturedTuesday September 26 2006, 6:33 AM
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin contributors Donald Loewen, assistant professor of Russian and Dale Tomich, professor of sociology at Binghamton University write, "Students who move out of the area are still considered Binghamton's responsibility if they don't officially register at another school. And students who move into Binghamton are considered the school's responsibility immediately, even if they show up a week before a mandatory test and the school has no chance to prepare them."
'No Child Left Behind' commission
Date CapturedMonday September 25 2006, 6:10 AM
Herald Tribune reports, "States have widely different standards for how they are measuring school progress under the law, and testing can be skewed by students with disabilities and those whose first language isn't English. 'Most groups felt they were not fully involved with writing the initial legislation, so now they want to have their say,' said Jack Jennings, director of the Center for Education Policy."
Philadelphia Catholic schools receive city money for afterschool programs
Date CapturedSaturday September 23 2006, 6:41 PM
AP reports, "Five [Philadelphia] Roman Catholic schools will receive city funds to open centers that provide academic and recreational activities for children and their families after school and during evenings, weekends and summer in an effort to reduce violence and crime."
A transformation for special ed: Need to account for language and cultural differences
Date CapturedWednesday September 20 2006, 11:00 PM
The Arizona Republic reports, "The push for accountability in public schools, coupled with increasing numbers of English-language learners, has put a squeeze on those who work in one of the most demanding, stressful career fields."
Area New York BOCES play key role in ensuring no child is left behind
Date CapturedWednesday September 20 2006, 6:18 AM
The Journal News reports on changes at BOCES, "The biggest changes began about five years ago, when the federal education law dubbed 'No Child Left Behind' took effect. The law, among other things, required that schools provide highly qualified teachers, demanded that states create English and math accountability tests for all children from third through eighth grades and insisted that special-needs students be given the same academic tests as other students."
The schoolyard bully
Date CapturedTuesday September 19 2006, 12:16 PM
Dick Iannuzzi, President, New York State United Teachers writes, "President Bush and his supporters in Congress have used NCLB as a weapon to punish schools instead of as a tool to improve them. Now they've turned that weapon on children with disabilities and children trying to learn English and adapt to a new culture." Iannuzzi additionally criticizes New York State Education Department (SED).
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA [NCLR] APPLAUDS U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION’S POLICY ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Date CapturedSunday September 17 2006, 7:16 PM
“Getting the No Child Left Behind law (NCLB) right is critical for Latino students, nearly half of whom are ELLs,” stated Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. “The Department’s regulations strike a balance which ensures that ELLs get the attention they deserve but have often not received, while at the same time giving states time to help ELLs learn English and improve in other important subjects.”
The battle over charter schools in California
Date CapturedSunday September 17 2006, 11:31 AM
Inside Bay Area reports, "Despite the growth, charters make up only about 6 percent of the state's schools, and they enroll only about 3 percent of California students, according to EdSource, a nonpartisan educational policy group. Charter schools never have found easy acceptance in the state. School districts have fought or blocked their creation within city boundaries, teachers' unions accuse the movement of undermining hard-won contracts and charter operators complain they have been hamstrung and undercut by a confusing and constricting stream of laws that stifle the very reform the schools were formed to foster."
New York State Education Department News and Notes
Date CapturedFriday September 15 2006, 8:50 AM
Education news from the Desk of Jean C. Stevens, Interim Deputy Commissioner.
Shortage of Bronx school nurses critical
Date CapturedThursday September 14 2006, 9:01 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Maysoun Freij, an advocate for the New York Immigration Coalition, said, 'New York has the fortune of having a large pool of bilingual and bicultural students who could go on to become nurses and doctors if given the chance.'"
Secretary Spellings Announces Final Limited English Proficiency Regulations
Date CapturedWednesday September 13 2006, 5:11 PM
The new Title I Regulation is intended to help recently arrived Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students learn English and other subjects while giving states and local school districts greater flexibility on assessment while continuing to hold them accountable under No Child Left Behind.
Changing classrooms require change in teaching methods
Date CapturedSunday September 10 2006, 11:56 AM
Beacon News reports, "Local [Illinois] educators need to adapt their teaching styles to their increasingly diverse classrooms, West Aurora school administrators told a group of new teachers during an Aurora University seminar last week."
Fordham Graduate School of Education Nets $4.5 Million in Grants
Date CapturedSunday September 10 2006, 10:47 AM
The New York State Education Department has awarded Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education $4.5 million in contracts for two Bilingual Education Technical Assistance Centers (BETACs) to serve more than 51,300 students in grades K-12 in the Bronx and Lower Hudson Valley. The highly competitive awards each total $2.25 million over a five-year period. BETACs were established by the New York State Education Department to assist districts and schools in developing high quality educational programs to help English Language Learners (ELL) or Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students meet New York state’s learning standards.
New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) on charter schools
Date CapturedThursday September 07 2006, 2:25 PM
Letter from NYSSBA executive director Timothy Kremer to New York State Board of Regents Chancellor Robert Bennett on charter schools accountability, "Article 56 off the Education Law compels the Board of Regents to review 'the educational effectiveness of the charter school approach and the effect of charter schools on public and nonpublic schools systems.' Regrettably, the State Education Department’s recently released annual report on the status of charter schools fails to illuminate whether this strategy is working."
Behind the statistics
Date CapturedThursday September 07 2006, 8:46 AM
The Providence Journal reports, "It [NCLB} doesn't capture a child's speaking and listening skills,' Furia [principal] said. 'Our students can understand what's being read and answer an inferential question. That's an "Aha" moment that isn't captured here.'"
Arizona State School Superintendent Tom Horne gives local educators his views on state of schools
Date CapturedThursday September 07 2006, 8:40 AM
Sierra Vista Herald reports on NCLB, "Horne said the feds changed the rules in the middle of the game, setting more schools up for “failure” — a word he eschews — in three ways: by giving English language learners only one year to pass the AIMS tests in English, instead of the original three years; by dismissing adaptive assistance to testing of special education students, essentially throwing them out of the count; and by adding more grade levels in computation of total scores."
Two Catholic schools open Newburgh
Date CapturedThursday September 07 2006, 6:36 AM
Times Herald reports, "Both schools are organized around the San Miguel Academy model — a type of Catholic school introduced to American inner cities in the 1970s. As Catholic schools around the country have become more expensive, the San Miguel academies are a return to the church's tradition of educating America's immigrants and the poor."
Special ed is honcho's priority
Date CapturedTuesday September 05 2006, 4:30 AM
NY Daily News reports on NYC schools chancellor for teaching and learning, "'I'd like to see a sharp increase in the number of kids in inclusive settings,' he [Andres Alonso] said. 'We know that the kids that we see in inclusive settings are outperforming kids in more restrictive environments.' He also hopes to improve achievement for bilingual students, particularly those who come to city schools as teens. But he, added, increasing the graduation rate is 'our greatest challenge.'"
NCLB Title III Institute Part I: Ensuring Academic Success for English Learners
Date CapturedMonday September 04 2006, 4:58 PM
December 4-6, 2006, Sacramento, CA. Robert Linquanti, Project Director for WestEd's English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support (ELEAS) services, Linda Carstens, Senior Research Associate for WestEd's ELEAS services, and Ivannia Soto-Hinman, Assistant Professor at Biola University, will lead a three-day institute on ensuring success for English learners. They will be joined by California Department of Education Consultants Cathy George, Judy Lambert, and Marcela Rodriguez.
NCLB Title III Institute Part I: Ensuring Academic Success for English Learners
Date CapturedMonday September 04 2006, 4:55 PM
November 27-29, 2006. Fresno, CA. Robert Linquanti, Project Director for WestEd's English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support (ELEAS) services, Linda Carstens, Senior Research Associate for WestEd's ELEAS services, and Ivannia Soto-Hinman, Assistant Professor at Biola University, will lead a three-day institute on ensuring success for English learners. They will be joined by California Department of Education Consultants Cathy George, Judy Lambert, and Marcela Rodriguez.
NCLB Title III Institute Part I: Ensuring Academic Success for English Learners
Date CapturedMonday September 04 2006, 4:51 PM
November 13-15, 2006. The Mission Inn , Riverside, CA. Robert Linquanti, Project Director for WestEd's English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support (ELEAS) services, Linda Carstens, Senior Research Associate for WestEd's ELEAS services, and Ivannia Soto-Hinman, Assistant Professor at Biola University, will lead a three-day institute on ensuring success for English learners. They will be joined by California Department of Education Consultants Cathy George, Judy Lambert, and Marcela Rodriguez.
Texas education the elephant in the room
Date CapturedSunday September 03 2006, 2:45 PM
The Houston Chronicle reports, "The new school finance law adopted by the Legislature this spring after five sessions over the past three years will make it harder for school districts to generate revenue because voter approval, not school board action, will generally dictate future school tax increases. And those voters with the most discretionary income will be older whites without children in schools."
California Bill Renews Debate Over Helping English Learners
Date CapturedFriday September 01 2006, 9:42 AM
LA Times reports, "While the legislation has gained wide support, it has also become a symbol of the fierce philosophical clash over English instruction in California, with many opponents, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, insisting that the option would lead to lower standards and segregation of students based on English ability."
New York Teachers union opposes new mandate for English language learners
Date CapturedFriday September 01 2006, 8:30 AM
New York Teacher reports, "Until now, students who have attended school in the United States for less than three years were not required to take the ELA exam. The recent ruling by the U.S. Depart-ment of Education contradicts the state's policy and NYSUT is investigating possible actions."
Back to better NCLB schools in Arizona
Date CapturedThursday August 31 2006, 10:12 PM
Eloy News, JON KYL, United States Senator, Arizona writes, "I recently had the privilege of honoring one of Arizona's most talented teachers with the Department of Education's American Stars of Teaching award. In its third year, the American Stars of Teaching program is a component of the Teacher-to-Teacher initiative, which seeks to honor excellence in the classroom. This year, Mr. Brian Fuller, of Peoria High School, was chosen to receive this award. Mr. Fuller exemplifies the kind of teachers Arizona schools must attract and retain."
Class-Action Suit in New Jersey Filed Over Education
Date CapturedThursday August 31 2006, 12:16 PM
School Reform News, The Heartland Institute, Aaron Atwood writes, "A strong partnership between national and state-level school reform activists has already formed in support of the lawsuit. Several national groups--including the Black Ministers' Council, Latino Leadership Alliance, and Alliance for School Choice--have joined forces with a state group, Excellent Education for Everyone (E3), to support the plaintiffs."
Education Secretary Spellings: No Child act needs no changes
Date CapturedWednesday August 30 2006, 6:16 PM
AP reports, "Spellings said her job is to present Congress with good data to help lawmakers do their job. She said she is open-minded about ways to improve the law. But when asked if she meant the law is truly '99.9 percent' close to working properly, she said, 'I think it is that close.'"
More Arizona schools miss performance measure
Date CapturedMonday August 28 2006, 9:56 PM
AP reports, "However, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said the increase is due to new rule changes by the Bush administration, not diminished performance by Arizona students. Horne cited changes in federal rules dealing with English-learning students, accommodations for special education students and the counting of more grades' test results."
Arizona English learner fines are dropped
Date CapturedSaturday August 26 2006, 10:54 AM
The Arizona Republic reports, "The state [Arizona] was facing $21 million in fines for failing to meet a deadline to come up with an English-language learner funding plan. Those fines, imposed by federal Judge Raner Collins, are now wiped out because of Thursday's ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. They go back into the state's General Fund."
Demand for preschool widens — as does ethnic gap
Date CapturedThursday August 24 2006, 8:41 AM
The Journal News reports, "Hispanic parents tend not to send their children to preschool for a number of reasons. Financial constraints, low educational status and a cultural preference for caring for children at home are among the most common explanations."
Free preschool will help Latinos and US
Date CapturedMonday August 21 2006, 7:29 AM
Christian Science Monitor contributor Alexandra Starr, journalism fellow in child and family policy in 2005 opined, "To give all kids a chance to be successful in school, we have to intervene early. Kindergarten is too late. But creating more early education programs isn't enough; states need to proactively reach out to Latinos. If they don't, expanding pre-K could ironically increase the disparities in educational achievement, as more whites and African-American kids enroll in these programs, and Latinos continue to be left out."
Kansas excels at adult education and literacy classes
Date CapturedSunday August 20 2006, 3:21 PM
AP reports, "No other state adult education program in the country distributes, as Kansas does, as much as 88 percent of its state and federal dollars based on performance, said Steven Klein, a consultant with MPR Associates, a firm commissioned last year by the U.S. Department of Education to review performance-based funding models across the country."
Tennessee scores point to problems in grad rates, special ed
Date CapturedSunday August 20 2006, 2:47 PM
The Tennessean reports, "Recently released test scores show that school systems here and across the state [Tennessee] must focus on getting more students to graduate on time with a regular diploma and boosting the skills of students diagnosed with learning and other disabilities."
Family life key to success in school
Date CapturedSunday August 20 2006, 2:16 PM
The Buffalo News former editor Murray B. Light opined on factors that impact learning, "None of the education studies I've reviewed has factored in one of the most dominant elements in American life - television viewing. It most certainly is a factor in the education and intellectual promise of school-age children. Almost every element of American life is now the subject of polls. I have never been satisfied that poll results are meaningful because the respondents may or may not be responding truthfully. Be that as it may, one cannot overlook the enormous influence television is today."
Looking beyond textbook learning: Upstate educators urged to embrace innovation at Saint Rose institute
Date CapturedSaturday August 19 2006, 8:21 AM
Times Union reports on seminar, "He [Noguera] is considered by many to be one of the nation's most important voices on education reform and diversity. The institute, formed last year with a $1.6 million federal grant, trains educators to better deal with modern issues affecting schools. Much of Noguera's address focused on creating a solid environment for teaching in urban areas, especially when dealing with low-income and special education students, as well as those who do not speak English. Teachers and administrators, especially in urban school districts, must work hard to create strong relationships with students to interest them in learning, he said."
Critics bash Hawaii weighted student school funding plan
Date CapturedWednesday August 16 2006, 9:01 AM
Star Bulletin reports on weighted student school funding, "A pair of education finance experts who analyzed Hawaii's formula earlier told members there is no evidence weighted funding has boosted student performance on the mainland. Despite that, Superintendent Pat Hamamoto said she believes strongly that weighted funding can give schools much-needed extra capabilities. 'Having been in a classroom, I can guarantee you that an ESL (English as a Second Language) student takes a lot more out of you,' said Hamamoto, a former teacher and principal."
Appeals court upholds California state high school exit exam
Date CapturedSaturday August 12 2006, 2:14 PM
AP reports, "A state appeals court on Friday upheld the state's [California] high school exit exam, rejecting claims by a group of students who argued the test discriminates against poor students and those who are learning English. The three-judge panel said that although all California students don't have access to equal education, eliminating the test as a graduation requirement would harm disadvantaged students more than it would help them."
California educators, lawmakers push for textbooks aimed at non-English speakers
Date CapturedFriday August 11 2006, 12:18 AM
Bee Capitol Bureau reports on California bill, "Senate Bill 1769 would require the state Board of Education to develop an approach to teaching reading and writing that incorporates English instruction for non-native speakers."
Denver Public Schools sets English policy: First-ever guidelines issued for teaching Spanish speakers
Date CapturedThursday August 10 2006, 11:28 AM
Rocky Mountain News reports, "DPS [Denver Public Schools] has been operating since 1999 under a federal court agreement that governs its English Language Acquisition program. It stems from a 1971 court action against the district by the Congress of Hispanic Educators, a group of DPS employees alleging discrimination against Hispanics. The action later morphed into a focus on English language learners. But while the court order speaks to how such students are to be identified and tracked, it does not dictate instruction, according to Aquino and DPS Superintendent -Michael Bennet."
Panel seeks more aid: North Dakota Commission recommends education budget overhaul
Date CapturedThursday August 10 2006, 11:16 AM
AP reports on proposal abolishing North Dakota's method of redistributing property tax resources among schools, "It includes spending adjustments that would give more money to schools for students in special and vocational education classes, those who need intensive English instruction, and for dropouts who have returned to school to get their degrees."
Hawaii BOE should not lose sight of funding strategy's goal
Date CapturedThursday August 10 2006, 10:56 AM
Honolulu Star-Bulletin opined on Hawaii student-weighted funding, "The revamped formula increases the weight for geographically isolated schools, adds a new one for at-risk students and introduces three funding levels based on language fluency, all reasonable designations. Another recommendation is to create a full-time office to develop, coordinate and assess the formula."
Some students with limited English skills face new hurdle: State-ordered exam stirs Binghamton concerns
Date CapturedWednesday August 09 2006, 8:18 AM
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reports, "Until now, students with less than three years of U.S. schooling were exempt from the state ELA test, which is used to gauge whether schools are making adequate yearly progress for their students under No Child Left Behind. Instead, they could take a different test, the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test. But the federal government ruled this procedure fails to comply with No Child Left Behind rules, Stevens [Deputy Education Commissioner ] said."
Hawaii DOE suggests restoring cuts: Recommendations would alter a system of weighted funding
Date CapturedTuesday August 08 2006, 8:46 AM
Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports, "The recommendations would restore much, and in some cases all, of the budget cuts some schools would have faced under the weighted student formula, which shifts funds to schools with more poor, non-English-speaking students or others with learning challenges."
New York changing test requirements for immigrant kids
Date CapturedMonday August 07 2006, 7:25 AM
The Journal News reports, "Education Commissioner Richard Mills outlined the changes in a letter last week to Assistant Secretary Henry L. Johnson of the U.S. Department of Education. Immigrant students who have been enrolled in U.S. schools for at least a year, as of January 2007, will begin taking the standard English language arts test in grades three to eight."
Let's do more for the libraries
Date CapturedSunday August 06 2006, 9:17 AM
NY Daily News opined, "For students, they are homework centers. For the unemployed, they are job centers. For anyone without a computer, they are Internet access. For small children, they are story time. For immigrants, they are the English language."
North Dakota launches Teachers of English as a New Language program
Date CapturedSaturday August 05 2006, 10:53 PM
South Bend Tribune reports, "The pilot program is designed for licensed teachers in Catholic schools with at least 10 percent of students for whom English is a new language, and for bilingual teachers (including those abroad) who teach in schools where the primary language is not English. In 2007, the program will be offered to Catholic school teachers nationwide."
LEP/ELL Student Statewide Assessment Policy/Title I Requirements
Date CapturedSaturday August 05 2006, 1:34 AM
New York State Education Department press release from Jean C. Stevens reads, "New York has been notified by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE), based upon USDOE’s NCLB standards and assessment peer review process, that NYSESLAT can no longer be used for Title I accountability purposes, except as described below for students newly arrived in the United States. USDOE determined that New York’s use of NYSESLAT for ELA accountability was not consistent with the requirements of NCLB and directed New York to come into compliance with NCLB by the end of the 2006-07 school year. As a result, New York must administer its ELA assessment to LEP/ELL students who, as of January 3, 2007, have been enrolled in school in the United States (excluding Puerto Rico) for one year or more."
More Students in New York Will Take Regular English Test
Date CapturedSaturday August 05 2006, 12:58 AM
NY Times DAVID M. HERSZENHORN reports, "Ordered by the federal government to improve its testing of students who speak limited English, New York State said yesterday that all children enrolled in school in the United States for at least a year would be required to take the state’s regular English Language Arts exam. The test is given annually in the third through eighth grades.
Utah Gov. Huntsman Jr.'s pitches flat tax to educators
Date CapturedThursday August 03 2006, 11:52 PM
Salt Lake Tribune reports, " Robert Spendlove, Huntsman's economist, said a move toward flattening Utah's income tax could create 25,000 new jobs by 2020 and generate an additional $2.6 billion per year of gross state product, creating increases in income tax revenue that would easily outbalance initial tax cuts."
States, Feds Partner on English Testing
Date CapturedWednesday August 02 2006, 7:45 PM
Infozine reports, "Twenty-four states [including New York] are being invited to work with the U.S. Department of Education to develop acceptable math and reading tests for students with limited English proficiency (LEP). Eighteen were chosen because a review last month found their testing systems, particularly those for LEP students, did not meet standards of the No Child Left Behind law. Six states with approved systems were invited to lend their expertise."
HISPANIC COUNCIL FOR REFORM AND EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS (CREO)
Date CapturedTuesday August 01 2006, 6:49 PM
Indiana state to help ease test language gap; To allow dictionaries, reading directions
Date CapturedTuesday August 01 2006, 8:54 AM
The Journal Gazette reports, "Statewide, more than 35,000 LEP students attended Indiana schools during the 2005-06 school year – an increase of 364 percent in the last decade. And while the number of students has grown, lawmakers have done little in the way of additional financing to address the this population. Many states recently sought permission for alternative testing for LEP kids – including Indiana – but the federal government turned them all down. That means the LEP students who took a proposed alternative test called ISTAR last year will count as failures for the schools as far as the federal No Child Left Behind accountability program is concerned."
A Language to Air News of America to the World
Date CapturedMonday July 31 2006, 8:31 AM
NY Times reports, "Special English was developed nearly 50 years ago as a radio experiment to spread American news and cultural information to people outside the United States who have no knowledge of English or whose knowledge is limited."
Government requiring New York immigrant kids to take regular English test
Date CapturedFriday July 28 2006, 7:47 AM
The Journal News reports, "New York was faulted over its testing of English learners and disabled students, two groups given special attention under NCLB. The state must submit a plan by Aug. 2 on how it will fix the problems. At stake is $1.2 million in federal school aid."
Secretary Spellings Announces Partnership with States to Improve Accountability for Limited English Proficient Students
Date CapturedThursday July 27 2006, 5:10 PM
Washington, D.C. — "U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced a partnership with states to improve and develop fair and accurate testing designed for limited English proficient (LEP) students."
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT: Assistance from Education Could Help States Better Measure Progress of Students with Limited English Proficiency
Date CapturedThursday July 27 2006, 9:57 AM
GAO July 2006 study, "The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA) focused attention on the academic achievement of more than 5 million students with limited English proficiency. Obtaining valid test results for these students is challenging, given their language barriers. This report describes (1) the extent to which these students are meeting annual academic progress goals, (2) what states have done to ensure the validity of their academic assessments, (3) what states are doing to ensure the validity of their English language proficiency assessments, and (4) how the U.S. Department of Education (Education) is supporting states’ efforts to meet NCLBA’s assessment requirements for these students."
Public Education: Meeting the Needs of Students With Limited English Proficiency
Date CapturedWednesday July 26 2006, 7:47 PM
This GAO report finds, "No clear consensus exists on the length of time children with limited English proficiency need to become proficient in English. Several factors make it difficult to generalize about how much time is needed." GAO-01-226 February 23, 2001.
AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT FREE TUTORING SERVICES UNDER THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT IN NEW YORK CITY: A FOCUS ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Date CapturedWednesday July 26 2006, 11:18 AM
Advocates for Children of New York, June, 2006. "This policy brief examines the status of SES in NYC as of the 2004-2005 school year (the most recent year for which data is available) and compares, where possible, results from the first year of implementation. This report also analyzes the extent to which ELLs are eligible based on their attendance in designated schools, their enrollment in SES, and SES providers’ capacity to serve these students."
An Unfailing Belief in the Power of Teaching
Date CapturedWednesday July 26 2006, 8:25 AM
NY Times DAVID M. HERSZENHORN writes, in a story about NYC schools' head of instruction, Dr. Alonso, "He hates it when students are referred to as 'at risk,' icily noting that they are at risk only when educators fail. He denounces failed teaching techniques the way a preacher condemns sin. His speeches are dense with jargon."
Special Report: ‘Deal’ inflates Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) scores
Date CapturedTuesday July 25 2006, 9:40 AM
East Valley Tribune reports, "Arizona took advantage of an off-the-books deal Horne says he struck with the U.S. Education Department in 2003 to exclude most English learners — students who are not proficient in English — from the official record of exam scores."
Change in education: As Latino students near a majority in public schools, questions arise on how California will address shift
Date CapturedMonday July 24 2006, 2:05 PM
Contra Costa Times reports, "Within three years, California will become the nation's second state, after New Mexico, in which a majority of public school students are Latino, according to state projections."
Texas groups sue, say state comes up short in bilingual education
Date CapturedMonday July 24 2006, 7:20 AM
El Paso Times reports, "The groups want a judge to order the Texas Education Agency to more closely observe and evaluate bilingual programs to make sure students with limited English skills get the same quality education and opportunities as students who speak the language fluently."
Funds would follow child
Date CapturedSunday July 23 2006, 10:26 AM
Columbia Daily Tribune reports, "The 'Fund the Child' plan, proposed by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, got support last month from a bipartisan group of national education leaders, including Rod Paige and two other former U.S. secretaries of education." Under the proposal, federal and state funding would follow a child to his or her public school. More money would be given for poor, special education and gifted students as well as students whose first language isn’t English."
A stronger net
Date CapturedSunday July 16 2006, 7:53 AM
The Journal News editorial , "State education officials got formal word recently from the U.S. Department of Education that the testing many New York schools have been doing of students learning English — usually recent immigrants — and special-education students is not on a par with that offered general-education students."
Best way to teach English skills argued
Date CapturedSaturday July 15 2006, 3:54 PM
Sacremento Bee reports, "One side insists students new to English should learn to read and write in a way that's geared toward non-native English speakers. They've yet to develop specifics, but advocates say the approach would incorporate more pictures, written passages with simple syntax, common vocabulary and less academic English. The other side demands all children learn to read and write the same way, whether English is native to them or they're just learning the language. They argue that reading and writing lessons geared for English learners would amount to state-sanctioned segregation."
Page turned in promoting literacy
Date CapturedFriday July 14 2006, 6:56 PM
The Arizona Republic reports, "The biblioteca, which serves about 200 residents, highlights a growing trend in urban apartment complexes that now feature libraries for residents."
New Research Looks to Boost Second-Language Literacy
Date CapturedFriday July 14 2006, 10:44 AM
Newswise reports, "The report analyzes data on teaching reading and writing to language-minority students and identifies gaps in available research."
U.S. Says Language Exam Does Not Comply With Law
Date CapturedTuesday July 11 2006, 7:21 AM
NY Times registration. NY Times reports, "The federal Department of Education has found that New York State’s methods for testing the annual progress of disabled students and students with limited English proficiency do not comply with the No Child Left Behind law and that the state must correct the problems within a year or risk losing $1.2 million in federal school aid."
Nonprofit agencies struggle to satisfy growing demands
Date CapturedMonday July 10 2006, 8:56 AM
Business First of Buffalo reports, "Each year, Literacy Volunteers of Buffalo & Erie County provides English language instruction to as many as 400 immigrants and refugees - about half the total population it serves."
Scottsdale Community College offers special English classes
Date CapturedThursday July 06 2006, 2:30 PM
The Business Journal reports, "A local community college is helping non-English-speaking resort workers learn the language."
AZ suing feds over scoring for schools
Date CapturedThursday July 06 2006, 2:25 PM
KVOA reports AP story, "Arizona is suing the U-S Department of Education over the federal agency's refusal to give schools three years before they have to count English-language learning students' test scores in a key accountability measure used by the 'No Child Left Behind' program."
How English is taught in Texas likely to change; Education board may take conservative turn on reading, writing standard
Date CapturedWednesday July 05 2006, 9:42 AM
Houston Chronicle reports, "Because Texas is such a large market for publishers, textbook adoptions here have national repercussions."
Bush Education Official Speaks at the 77th League of United Latin American Citizens' (LULAC) National Convention
Date CapturedThursday June 29 2006, 7:57 PM
Colorado group pushing for immigrants to take English-immersion classes
Date CapturedWednesday June 28 2006, 10:24 PM
Tennessee schools continue challenge of educating ELL students
Date CapturedThursday June 22 2006, 10:15 AM
Legislate Learning English? If Only It Were So Easy
Date CapturedThursday June 22 2006, 7:42 AM
NY Times registration
Learning English is top migrant issue
Date CapturedThursday June 15 2006, 9:32 AM
English initiative advances in Colorado
Date CapturedWednesday June 14 2006, 10:01 AM
Courage? Follow the Yellow Brick Road (NY Times registration)
Date CapturedWednesday June 14 2006, 8:12 AM
A language leader
Date CapturedMonday June 12 2006, 7:43 PM
Bilingualism issue rises again
Date CapturedMonday June 12 2006, 7:09 PM
Language teachers needed
Date CapturedSaturday June 10 2006, 9:20 AM
Press 2 for pointless
Date CapturedWednesday June 07 2006, 8:52 AM
Our language unites us
Date CapturedWednesday June 07 2006, 8:47 AM
Testing special students is tricky
Date CapturedTuesday June 06 2006, 9:22 AM
Educators look at needs of Hispanic students
Date CapturedSaturday June 03 2006, 8:50 AM
Older Students Who Need Basics Pose Challenge (Washington Post registration)
Date CapturedMonday May 29 2006, 8:23 AM
Massachusetts bilingual law fails first test
Date CapturedSunday May 21 2006, 10:39 AM
Debate over English
Date CapturedSunday May 21 2006, 10:12 AM
Arizona English learners look good for AIMS
Date CapturedFriday May 12 2006, 10:13 AM
California teacher named best in U.S. for bilingual education
Date CapturedThursday May 11 2006, 11:03 AM
School of the American dream
Date CapturedWednesday May 03 2006, 7:41 PM
Bilingual education standards questioned in Illinois
Date CapturedWednesday April 26 2006, 1:31 PM
Seeking equity in the education of California's English learners
Date CapturedFriday April 21 2006, 7:17 PM
"Seeking equity in the education of California's English learners.” Rumberger, Russell, (with Patricia Gándara). Teachers College Record, 106(2004), 2032-2056
Study Finds Widespread Segregation of California’s English Learners
Date CapturedFriday April 21 2006, 7:02 PM
Diversity Spreads Out: Metropolitan Shifts in Hispanic, Asian, and Black Populations Since 2000
Date CapturedMonday March 27 2006, 12:33 PM
by William H. Frey, March 2006. Brookings Institution, Metropolitan Policy Program. Analysis of Census Bureau population estimates detailing the distribution of racial and ethnic groups within and across U.S. metropolitan areas since Census 2000 reveals that: Hispanic and Asian populations are spreading out from their traditional metropolitan centers, while the shift of blacks toward the South is accelerating. The Los Angeles and New York metropolitan areas contained 23 percent of the nation's Hispanic population in 2004, down from 30 percent in 1990. Of the nation's 361 metropolitan areas, 111 registered declines in white population from 2000 to 2004, with the largest absolute losses occurring in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Improving Assessment and Accountability for English Language Learners in the NCLB Act
Date CapturedWednesday March 22 2006, 5:08 PM
Author: Melissa Lazarín, Mar 22, 2006. This report by the National Council of La Raza examines the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) on English language learners (ELLs). It concludes that while the law has not been implemented adequately, it holds considerable promise for closing the achievement gap between ELLs and other students. The issue brief also provides a road map for policy-makers and school administrators for improving the law’s effectiveness for ELLs.



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