NABE News Digest

#2006-2
February 14, 2006

The News Digest, an occasional publication for NABE members, features current articles of interest to bilingual educators. Information provided and opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors. No endorsement by NABE is implied. If you would prefer not to receive the News Digest, please click here to unsubscribe.

Board Hears English Debate
The debate over how best to teach students English has caused turmoil in California and controversy in Arizona. On Thursday, that debate came home as the Texas State Board of Education heard from proponents of immersion — an approach that uses English almost exclusively to teach foreign language speakers — and those who say Texas should maintain its nearly four-decades-long policy of bilingual instruction.
San Antonio Express-News, February 10, 2006

Latino Groups Target Texas Bilingual Policies
Federal Lawsuit Accuses State Agency of Letting Some Students Slip Through the Cracks
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Multicultural Education Training and Advocacy Inc., filed a federal motion against the state Thursday accusing the Texas Education Agency of failing to adequately enforce Texas' bilingual education laws. If successful, the motion would require the agency to take into account the passing rates of students with limited English proficiency on standardized tests when rating districts and considering districts for review.
Austin American-Statesman, February 10, 2006

Kansas Bilingual Ed Woes are Diverse
Proposals Seek to Make Funding More Fair for Programs Across State
School districts face various challenges in teaching non-English speakers across Kansas. There's only one funding mechanism, that controls how much state money is targeted for that education. The House Select Committee on School Finance heard testimony Wednesday on proposed changes to the bilingual education budget that might hurt some schools by under-funding their expenses. At the same time, it could help others. In the Wichita school district, officials must deal with a mobile student population that speaks 64 different languages or dialects.
Hutchinson News, February 3, 2006

Immigration Issue Plays Out in Arizona Education Fight
Arizona's Democratic governor and its Republican-controlled Legislature are locked in an election-year stalemate over the teaching of English and how much to pay for it. On the surface, the debate is straightforward: how to help the state's 154,000 public-school children whose native language is other than English — in almost all cases it is Spanish — catch up with their peers, as required by a federal court order. Below the surface is the matter that underlies most political debates in Arizona: illegal immigration, expected to be the marquee issue in the November elections.
The New York Times, February 3, 2006

Advocates Note Need to Polish Bilingual Pitch
Bilingual education advocates at the National Association for Bilingual Education's annual meeting lamented that they have been unable to convince the public and policymakers that such education has an edge over English-only methods. Why is it that the stronger the research support for bilingual education, we get less support from policymakers? James Crawford, the executive director of the Washington-based NABE, said in a session about identifying strategies to reverse public opinion. About 5,500 educators attended the Jan. 18-21 conference here.
Education Week, February 1, 2006

Arizona English Measure Advances
Panel OKs it as Official Language
State lawmakers moved Thursday to make English the official language of Arizona, even as they have yet to figure out how to finance teaching it in public schools. The 6-3 vote by the House Judiciary Committee would constitutionally require all "official action" of government be conducted in English. The measure still requires approval by the full Senate and House — and, ultimately, by state voters — before becoming law. There is reason to believe it will pass, in that it is similar to a measure approved by voters in 1988. That provision, however, never was enforced. The Arizona Supreme Court declared it illegal, saying that it violates federal constitutional rights.
Arizona Daily Star, January 27, 2006

English-Learner Fines Begin
Napolitano Rejects 2nd Republican Plan
Arizona became liable Wednesday for fines of $500,000 a day after Gov. Janet Napolitano rejected the latest Republican plan to pay for improved instruction for thousands of Arizona schoolchildren struggling to learn English. It was the second day in a row that the Democratic governor vetoed a Republican-backed plan to help English-learners in public schools. Napolitano said she rejected the plan because it contained corporate tuition-tax credits for private-school scholarships, which could divert millions of dollars from public schools into private schools.
Arizona Republic, January 26, 2006

School's Success Story
Dual-Language Program Gains National Attention
Dozens of educators from across the country toured Herrera School for the Fine Arts near downtown Phoenix this week, curious to see how a program that teaches students in English and Spanish thrives in a state that bans bilingual education. Members of the National Association for Bilingual Education met with the elementary school students, who switched easily from English to Spanish, to talk about why they like the program. Under state law, schools can offer dual-language classes and many do but only if students are proficient in English. Principal Tracey Pastor and her teachers found a creative way of interpreting the law to provide even students with limited English-skills instruction in two languages.
Arizona Republic, January 21, 2006