9:29 AM
CAUSA Communications Department
"Immigrants Speak Out on Measure 58!" was produced through the facilities of Portland Community Media (www.pcmtv.org) for the Center for Intercultural Organizing.
Showing posts with label Anti-Bilingual Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anti-Bilingual Education. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Immigrants Speak Out on Measure 58
"Immigrants Speak Out on Measure 58!" was produced through the facilities of Portland Community Media (www.pcmtv.org) for the Center for Intercultural Organizing.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Citizen Jury Condemns Oregon Measure Limiting Bilingual Ed
Bill Sizemore’s Measure 58 is a bad idea for Oregon. That is the conclusion a citizen jury of 23 Oregonians came to on Thursday after finishing up their 5 day analysis. Measure 58, sponsored by Bill Sizemore, would prohibit teaching a public school student in a language other than English for more than two years.
Healthy Democracy Oregon, a citizen-based review process for statewide ballot measures, heard arguments for and against from the campaigns. In the end, the decision jurors came to was not surprising. The 16 of the 23 jurors agreed that Measure 58 will not save taxpayer dollars and will not guarantee English language proficiency.
Among their findings, the citizen panel concluded that Measure 58:
Additionally, Gary Hargett, a renowned education expert, expressed he was pleased with the jurors’ decision, but was also disappointed that it took 23 Oregonians five days to comprehend the negative impacts of Measure 58. Hargett attributed this to Sizemore’s vague and poor wording that he used when drafting the measure.
The statement from the “No on 58” campaign concluded by saying that school boards, education organizations, teachers, and parents across the state have come out in opposition to Measure 58 because it will take away local control from the people who know our schools best and put the control in the hands of government bureaucrats.
CAUSA is a member of the Parents and Teachers Know Better Coalition. For more information about Parents and Teachers Know Better and how you can get involved, please visit www.parentsandteachersknowbetter.com
Healthy Democracy Oregon, a citizen-based review process for statewide ballot measures, heard arguments for and against from the campaigns. In the end, the decision jurors came to was not surprising. The 16 of the 23 jurors agreed that Measure 58 will not save taxpayer dollars and will not guarantee English language proficiency.
Among their findings, the citizen panel concluded that Measure 58:
In a statement from the "Parents and Teachers Know Better" coalition, Campaign Manager Treasure Mackley said, "After both sides presented on Measure 58 it is clear that jurors have sided with educators across the state against this vague and poorly worded measure”. Mackley finished by saying “It's clear that Oregon voters can see that this measure is a one-size-fits-all mandate that would punish both teachers and students throughout Oregon."Is projected to cost over $500 million in the first two years Does not acknowledge research which shows most students need more than 1-2 years to become proficient in English Does not allow flexibility for teachers to meet the needs of individual students Does not allow for any flexibility or exceptions to the rigid one to two year timelines Requires the legislature to determine what comprises English Immersion for the entire state of Oregon Does not allow for local control Would eliminate current successful programs Is NOT the same as the more flexible laws passed in CA and AZ, and no other state in the nation has a law as restrictive as this one May have unpredicted and/or unintended social and financial consequences
Additionally, Gary Hargett, a renowned education expert, expressed he was pleased with the jurors’ decision, but was also disappointed that it took 23 Oregonians five days to comprehend the negative impacts of Measure 58. Hargett attributed this to Sizemore’s vague and poor wording that he used when drafting the measure.
The statement from the “No on 58” campaign concluded by saying that school boards, education organizations, teachers, and parents across the state have come out in opposition to Measure 58 because it will take away local control from the people who know our schools best and put the control in the hands of government bureaucrats.
CAUSA is a member of the Parents and Teachers Know Better Coalition. For more information about Parents and Teachers Know Better and how you can get involved, please visit www.parentsandteachersknowbetter.com
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Editorial: Bilingual education getting dissected
This editorial appeared in the Woodburn Independent on Wednesday. The Woodburn Independent, a twice-weekly community newspaper serving the Woodburn and North Marion County community.
Bilingual education getting dissected
Woodburn Independent
July 23, 2008
The debate of whether or not schools should teach English as a Second Language (ESL) will swim to the forefront this election year. Initiative 19 prohibits teaching in a language other than English for more than two years.
So, if passed, according to the initiative itself, it “provides that no public school student shall be taught in language other than English for more than two years, with the exception for classes teaching foreign language to English speakers.” If it fails, it will “retain the requiring of English course for students unable to profit from classes taught in English, permitting multiple-language instruction to assist transition to English.”
There are pros and cons to both. The ESL program is very expensive and the program takes a long, long time. However, English immersion programs are showing mixed results around the country. A study from Harvard University showed that students in California and Arizona, two states that went to English immersion programs, were not acquiring English faster or doing better than they were before bilingual education was abolished.
The initiative’s bottom line is that it doesn’t want taxpayer money paying for these programs. We agree, however, the decision should be left up to individual schools districts, which make up their own budgets and know what they need on a year-to-year basis better than any state watchdog agency.
Each school board, or superintendent and his or her administrators should have the autonomy to do what works best for their district. If ESL doesn’t work in Hillsboro, but does work in Woodburn, those school districts should be able to make that choice on their own. If English immersion works better in Ashland or Burns, then they should not be under the same umbrella as the districts that don’t see the same benefits.
This is a problem that is becoming a national hot-button issue and when you have state and federal governments getting their hands in local school districts, usually it’s the students who suffer most.
link
Bilingual education getting dissected
Woodburn Independent
July 23, 2008
The debate of whether or not schools should teach English as a Second Language (ESL) will swim to the forefront this election year. Initiative 19 prohibits teaching in a language other than English for more than two years.
So, if passed, according to the initiative itself, it “provides that no public school student shall be taught in language other than English for more than two years, with the exception for classes teaching foreign language to English speakers.” If it fails, it will “retain the requiring of English course for students unable to profit from classes taught in English, permitting multiple-language instruction to assist transition to English.”
There are pros and cons to both. The ESL program is very expensive and the program takes a long, long time. However, English immersion programs are showing mixed results around the country. A study from Harvard University showed that students in California and Arizona, two states that went to English immersion programs, were not acquiring English faster or doing better than they were before bilingual education was abolished.
The initiative’s bottom line is that it doesn’t want taxpayer money paying for these programs. We agree, however, the decision should be left up to individual schools districts, which make up their own budgets and know what they need on a year-to-year basis better than any state watchdog agency.
Each school board, or superintendent and his or her administrators should have the autonomy to do what works best for their district. If ESL doesn’t work in Hillsboro, but does work in Woodburn, those school districts should be able to make that choice on their own. If English immersion works better in Ashland or Burns, then they should not be under the same umbrella as the districts that don’t see the same benefits.
This is a problem that is becoming a national hot-button issue and when you have state and federal governments getting their hands in local school districts, usually it’s the students who suffer most.
link
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Anti-ESL Instruction Measure Qualifies for November Ballot
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2008
Contacts:
Aeryca Steinbauer, CAUSA Coordinator, (503) 984-6816
Kayse Jama, Center for Intercultural Organizing, (503) 287-4117
Liz Rogers, Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), (503) 730-2585
Erik Sorensen, CAUSA Communications, (503)488-0263
Anti-ESL Instruction Measure Qualifies for November Ballot
Broad coalition forms to educate voters on the harmful consequences measure will have on Oregon’s children and economy
Salem, OR—Today the Oregon Secretary of State’s office announced that Initiative Petition #19 has qualified for the upcoming ballot. The unfunded mandate termed “English Language Instruction” would prohibit teaching a public school student in a language other than English for more than two years. This November, Oregonians will have the choice to reject or pass a law which will take control away from local school boards, families and educators and place it in the hands of convicted racketeer Bill Sizemore.
“School children targeted by Bill Sizemore’s measure speak over a hundred languages in our public schools and come from a variety of backgrounds. Many of these children suffer from economic hardship and some have spent years in refugee camps with no formal schooling before coming to Oregon,” said Kayse Jama of the Center for Intercultural Organizing. “This is a new low even for Sizemore, destroying their educational hopes in a land where they should be given equal opportunity".
Similar measures that have been passed in other states have been shown to hinder the ability of children to learn English. In California, a recent study revealed that after six years since an anti-bilingual education measure’s passage just one-quarter of Hispanic pupils could expect to be reclassified as fluent in English.
This staggering revelation shows that students have been prevented from making the most of their education thereby having a negative impact on their economic future and the future of the communities they live in. The fact remains, children learn English more quickly, along with math and science and other academic subjects, when at least some of their instruction is in their native language. Last year, there were 62,084 students enrolled in English Language Development programs in Oregon school districts.
A broad coalition of immigrant, refugee, educators and ally organizations are set to fight the ill-conceived measure by educating Oregonians about the additional costs the measure will create, the fact that it will take federal money away from Oregon’s General Fund Budget, the harm it will do to children and the control it will take away from local school boards, families and educators, those whom know best about educate our children.
"We are in the process of educating families in communities around Oregon about the harmful consequences of this measure”, said Aeryca Steinbauer, coordinator of CAUSA. “Oregonians everywhere should be concerned about its damaging effects on children and disruption of local control".
###
June 17, 2008
Contacts:
Aeryca Steinbauer, CAUSA Coordinator, (503) 984-6816
Kayse Jama, Center for Intercultural Organizing, (503) 287-4117
Liz Rogers, Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), (503) 730-2585
Erik Sorensen, CAUSA Communications, (503)488-0263
Broad coalition forms to educate voters on the harmful consequences measure will have on Oregon’s children and economy
Salem, OR—Today the Oregon Secretary of State’s office announced that Initiative Petition #19 has qualified for the upcoming ballot. The unfunded mandate termed “English Language Instruction” would prohibit teaching a public school student in a language other than English for more than two years. This November, Oregonians will have the choice to reject or pass a law which will take control away from local school boards, families and educators and place it in the hands of convicted racketeer Bill Sizemore.
“School children targeted by Bill Sizemore’s measure speak over a hundred languages in our public schools and come from a variety of backgrounds. Many of these children suffer from economic hardship and some have spent years in refugee camps with no formal schooling before coming to Oregon,” said Kayse Jama of the Center for Intercultural Organizing. “This is a new low even for Sizemore, destroying their educational hopes in a land where they should be given equal opportunity".
Similar measures that have been passed in other states have been shown to hinder the ability of children to learn English. In California, a recent study revealed that after six years since an anti-bilingual education measure’s passage just one-quarter of Hispanic pupils could expect to be reclassified as fluent in English.
This staggering revelation shows that students have been prevented from making the most of their education thereby having a negative impact on their economic future and the future of the communities they live in. The fact remains, children learn English more quickly, along with math and science and other academic subjects, when at least some of their instruction is in their native language. Last year, there were 62,084 students enrolled in English Language Development programs in Oregon school districts.
A broad coalition of immigrant, refugee, educators and ally organizations are set to fight the ill-conceived measure by educating Oregonians about the additional costs the measure will create, the fact that it will take federal money away from Oregon’s General Fund Budget, the harm it will do to children and the control it will take away from local school boards, families and educators, those whom know best about educate our children.
"We are in the process of educating families in communities around Oregon about the harmful consequences of this measure”, said Aeryca Steinbauer, coordinator of CAUSA. “Oregonians everywhere should be concerned about its damaging effects on children and disruption of local control".
