Untitled Document

Wednesday, January 8

From Lau to Unz: A Broad Overview. Bilingual education, like many other educational initiatives on behalf of "minority" children, has its roots in litigation. Ground-breaking litigation of a civil rights nature is generally most successful in a time of heightened sensitivity of awareness of deprivations suffered by these children. That awareness provides not only the firmament for successful litigation, but also successful political initiatives (which are often-times secured by litigation). While there are compelling educational reasons for bilingual education, its existence has been highly dependent on law for its continued existence. Given the mutability of laws and judicial sensitivity, it is important to understand the legal roots of bilingual education and the context in which those roots flourished or languished. This class will set the stage by giving an overview of events that happened between the two historical bookends of Lau v. Nichols (1974) and the passage of Proposition 227 by California voters in 1998. The key players highlighted are the roles of advocacy, the courts, Congress, state legislatures, education reformers, and researchers.

Monday, January 13

Assignment due: An e-mail to the school board.

Additional Reading: Crawford, Chapters 1-3.

Diversity and Language Programming: Tensions between Rhetoric and Reality. There is often dissonance between democratic, egalitarian ideals, and our treatment of persons of color. There are a number of commonly accepted "truths" or ideals we espouse that seem to conflict with our educational responses to the needs of immigrant students. We will explore at least three instances of this behavior. Instance #1: This is a nation of immigrants. We welcome immigrants and the diversity they bring. Behavior: We are often nervous about the very differences (diversity?) that immigrants bring. One of these differences that is at the core of being an immigrant is the use of a language other than English. Instance #2: Our rhetoric is that knowing multiple languages has important cultural and economic value. Behavior: We engage in practices that take away the first language of many immigrants, rather than sustaining their language while building English skills. Instance #3: It is a rallying cry of anti-bilingual forces - which is usually joined by bilingual advocates - that little is more important than teaching children the English language skills needed in school and beyond. Behavior: We ignore research that suggests that developing literacy skills in the first language enhances English learning. We are often desultory in implementing quality ESOL programs. Class Discussion Guide

Wednesday, January 22

Assignment due: Legislative compromises.

Additional Reading: Crawford, Chapters 4-5.

Implementation and Institutionalization of Civil Rights Initiatives: Bilingual Education Contrasted with Desegregation and Rights of the Handicapped While educational reform often founders, that which has been imposed on behalf of minority pupils has met with a number of unique barriers. In order to better understand how we might be more successful at institutionalizing policies, it is first important to explore the barriers to effective implementation. These include: 1. The very fact of imposition. As a product of litigation and/or legal mandate, school officials are required to do things that they did not arrive at naturally. 2. The fact that those who do the imposing, i.e., courts and legislatures, ordinarily come to the task somewhat reluctantly. This often results in leaving key implementation details to those who may be hostile to the mandate, as well as a reluctance to second-guess school officials. 3. The outside force that does the imposing often has little staying power. 4. Parents and civil rights advocates who support policies often are reluctant to criticize poor implementation because there is a felt need to defend programs against those who would not implement them at all.

Monday, January 27

Assignment: Start Working on Young Dr. Unz

Additional Readings: Crawford, Chapter 12;

"Preliminary Statement" (about 3 pages) in Reply Brief for Defendants, Campaign for Fiscal Equity vs. State of New York;

Education Week, "Researchers: School Segregation Rising in South", Sept. 11, 2002.

Education Week, "Final Rules Give States Direction, Little Flexibility", Dec. 4, 2002.

One Size Fits All: Establishing Necessary Rules to Fit Myriad Possibilities: Legislating in the Area of Language Programming. It is generally considered desirable, if not necessary, to have sufficient clarity in a law to assure that the desired behavior occurs - and that there can be a response when it does not occur. Legislation in the area of education, however, is different from creating speed limits or criminalizing theft. At the very least, there are multiple schools and districts with varying needs and capabilities. Often, individualized student needs make impracticable the imposition of a single "solution" to a need. In an ideal world, you might be comfortable legislating broad policies and leaving wide discretion to school officials. However, when dealing with civil rights-based education initiatives, this approach seems especially problematic - yet necessary. In the bilingual education context, there are a number of places where the tension between the need for certainty and flexibility are evident. They include: 1. Different levels of language proficiency. Language proficiency is a continuum; usually students start with little English and progress to the mainstream. In a transitional program, this might call for different use of languages at different times and for different subjects. Yet, if you leave this to the discretion of school officials, you are likely to have decisions influenced by the pro or anti-bilingual position of a school. Crucial "exiting" decisions are a variation of this issue. 2. Different language groups/differing abilities to deliver educational services. Even with Spanish, there is often a dearth of teachers and materials. In the Los Angeles schools there are close to 200 languages and substantial variety in all major school systems. Some may want and need native language instruction. School officials faced with difficulties in delivery (and often hostility to bilingual programming) will not deliver a bilingual program without a mandate. This, too, becomes a balancing act.

Monday, February 3

Assignment Due: Young Dr. Unz

Programs for Low Income Children: Where do English Language Learners Fit? Since 1965, when the first edition of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed, to the current version, "Leave No Child Behind," pushed by the Bush administration, there has been a recognition that unless schools effectively compensate for the consequences of poverty, low-income children are unlikely to realize their potential. In its early incarnation, Title I (as it is commonly known) primarily viewed the target population as African Americans and poor whites. Whether because of this early myopia, or for other reasons, many of the programs developed have treated LEP conditions as an incidental. At worst, they have treated the programs as exclusively the domain of the other groups, leaving limited English speakers out altogether. This result has often been justified on the grounds that bilingual programs are for LEPs and compensatory education for others. The reality is that LEPs generally share the same burdens of poverty as the other groups. Even if fully effective bilingual programs are implemented, those burdens generally remain. Thus there is a need to be more inclusive in our strategies to restrict the educational consequences of poverty while assuring that those strategies make appropriate adjustments for linguistic barriers. There is currently a major thrust in California and elsewhere to attack inequalities found in inner-city schools. The Williams case, in which Prof. Hakuta is participating, addresses a number of "opportunity to learn" issues. A brief review of some of those issues makes the point that LEP concerns must be addressed. Example 1. There is concern that inner-city facilities are overcrowded and inadequate. This hits immigrant populations the hardest because they are the ones that are found in the most overcrowded schools. By all accounts, oversized and overcrowded facilities reduce opportunities to address educational needs and create a stultifying environment?] that severs crucial relationships within the school community. Class size reduction possibilities are limited; one way busing to schools without sensitivity to or ability to address LEP issues are often a result. Example 2. Inner-city children are disproportionately taught by inexperienced and under-credentialed teachers. Any remedy must recognize the need for training of teachers that addresses the linguistic and cultural needs that so many of the students have. Example 3. Many would argue that the adequacy of school libraries is a crucial component of breaking the consequences of poverty (inner-city students often do not have access to books and the Internet at home). Yet to devise a remedy that is not sensitive to the needs of LEP/immigrant children is to impose a remedy that is unlikely to realize its potential. There are other issues that evolve from Title I, and other responses to parenting that have LEP implications. Throughout the country, these programs are heavily geared to improving English literacy for all students. Many districts are using packaged programs that some would argue are inappropriate for LEP populations. Further, as will be discussed in detail in Week 6, states have focused reform on assessments that often are aligned with these packages and which raise additional issues.

Monday, February 10

Assignment Due: Attack Mode.

Assessment and Accountability Systems for English Language Learners. Reform efforts especially after Improving America's Schools Act and tightened in No Child Left Behind have raised important issues about the inclusion of ELLs in assessment and accountability systems. This week will address the mixture of policy/advocacy issues with technical measurement issues that is created in this environment. What are common state practices in the use of standardized testing with LEP students for state accountability purposes and for individual high stakes? What are appropriate accommodations for inclusion? How do we negotiate the tricky tension between the hazards of overzealous and inappropriate inclusion of LEP students in high stakes testing with the hazards of failing to document their underachievement, thus failing to garner resources? What about standards and assessment of English language proficiency? Background: Video: John Merrow, Testing, Testing, Testing. NRC: High Stakes.

Monday, February 17

Assignment Due: Texas or California?

Secondary Education and Language Programming. The issues for ELLs changes markedly for secondary students: segregation and choice, peer pressure to conform, adequacy of the scope and range of courses, high school graduation requirements / exams, and jobs.

Monday, February 24

Teacher Education Models When English Language Learners are Ubiquitous. Most teachers being trained now will end up teaching some number of ELLs, and this class will discuss strategies for adequate preparation. We will look at special education mainstreaming and teacher training as a model, and also consider the practicalities of infusion.

Monday, March 3

Assignment Due: Advising the State of Florida

Additional Readings:

Cultural Diversity and Early Education: Report of a Workshop (Class handout)

Education Week, "Study: Dearth of Programs For Older Immigrant Students", Jan. 24, 2001.

Tamara Lucas, Promoting Secondary School Transitions for Immigrant Adolescents, ERIC Digest, December 1996, EDO-FL-97-04.

Early Childhood Education / Headstart: A Central Battleground for Bilingual Education. In the context of policy emphasis on early childhood education and the belief that there is a critical period for second language acquisition, there is a lot of policy churn around the role of Head Start and the early childhood education curriculum to teach English versus the importance of developing strong preliteracy skills in the native language.

Monday, March 10

Assignment Due: Peer Review of a School

We will discuss the findings on effective schools, referenced in the Peer Review problem unit for the week.