At Mount Vernon, Dozens of Children Become U.S. Citizens

The Washington Post

March 19, 2010

In the 2008 presidential elections, Kamran Atri, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Iran who lives in Stafford, brought his daughter Selina, now 9, into the voting booth with him. She helped him mark his selection, and he made a deal with her: Clean your room and you can become a citizen. Yesterday, she and 31 other children stepped onto a stage at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate and received papers that certify them as citizens of the United States.

Bronx Students Get to Meet Mexican Artist Gabriel Orozco

New York Daily News

March 19, 2010

The faces of 50 fifth-graders were filled with awe Thursday when Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco stepped into the library at Public School 47 in Bronx River. Just last month, many of the students attended an exhibit of his work at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. They left inspired, not only by the art but by the artist, since many of the students hail from Mexico.

Father G Sees Past Gang Tattoos, To The Heart

NPR

March 19, 2010

Los Angeles is home to nearly 86,000 gang members. When they want to quit the gang, many call Fr. Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit priest. Father G, founder of Homeboy Industries, talks about his book, Tattoos On The Heart, in which he tells parables based on the stories of these young men. (Reader discretion advised.)

The Latino Completion Gap, Examined

Inside Higher Ed

March 18, 2010

Researchers have dug deeply into the data surrounding Latino graduation rates in a new report, "Rising to the Challenge: Hispanic College Graduation Rates as a National Priority." While it confirms the overall reality that Latino students trail their white peers at all types of institutions, it also reveals wide variation in the relative success of institutions with similar student bodies. That matters, the authors say, because it shows that the educational practices of institutions matter.

Adult ESL Students Address School Board

News Messenger (CA)

March 18, 2010

Ten community members requested to speak at Tuesday's school board meeting to protect the adult English as a Second Language (ESL) class offered at Phoenix High School in Lincoln, CA. "We came tonight because we will like to continue with more classes, to learn English, and go to college,' said student Omar Rodriguez.

Students' Latino Pride Draws Them to Club

The Telegraph (NH)

March 18, 2010

Although sharing a common goal, the students who turned out for the inaugural meeting of the Latino Club at New Hampshire's Nashua High School North had greatly varying cultural heritages. The intent of forming a student group to celebrate Latino heritage is to bring those cultures together and represent them in a positive way in the school, students said.

Editorial: San Patricio

The New York Times

March 17, 2010

On this day of all days in the Irish-American calendar, when ethnic pride swells, let's raise a toast: Here's to the Irish, and here's to the rest of us. May we never forget where we came from. Nearly all of us were Mexicans once. That is: the new immigrants, poor and reviled, propelled by hope and hunger into America's prickly embrace.

Iraqis in El Cajon: A Glimpse at U.S. Refugee Policy

Education Week

March 17, 2010

In her Learning the Language blog, Mary Ann Zehr writes, "The United States has received 35,000 of the estimated 2 million refugees who fled Iraq since this country went to war there seven years ago. The top resettlement city has been El Cajon, Calif., a suburb of San Diego, so I traveled there this month to see how the Iraqi refugees were faring in the schools there."

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Haitian Students Find Local Safety Net

The Indypendent

March 17, 2010

Worried about Haitian young adults slipping through the cracks in New York City, Brooklyn community activist Darnell Benoit founded Flanbwayan, The Haitian Literacy Project, in 2005. Benoit currently serves as the director of the Flatbush-based educational and advocacy nonprofit, serving the needs of local Haitian youth.

Commentary: Does NCLB Promote Monolingualism?

Education Week

March 16, 2010

In this commentary, law professor and author Rosemary Salomone writes, "Eight years into the No Child Left Behind Act, educators, researchers, and advocates remain locked in heated debate over the effects of the law's testing and accountability mandates on students, many from immigrant homes where a language other than English is spoken. Remarkably lost in the crossfire are the equally serious implications for the nation and its competitive position internationally."

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Wave of Refugees Resettling in Indianapolis

IndyStar.com (IN)

March 16, 2010

Having survived her war-torn homeland of Somalia, Deko Abdi Hussein is now trying to adjust to her new home — and a new language — here in Indianapolis. Hussein is among a recent wave of refugees who have resettled in Indianapolis. More than 1,110 refugees are expected to make Indianapolis their home this year, an increase of more than 30 percent from last year.

Latino Conference Explores Role in Higher Education

Richmond Times Dispatch

March 16, 2010

Many people inaccurately believe that Hispanic students are new to public schools and higher education, according to Virginia's Secretary of Education Gerard Robinson. In 1931, he pointed out, Mexican-American parents in Southern California fought a court battle to end separate-but-equal education for their children — two decades before the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision banning segregation in public schools.

The Push-Back on Charter Schools

The New York Times

March 15, 2010

Two recent New York Times articles have described opposition to the thriving charter school movement in Harlem. This is a New York battle, but charter schools — a cornerstone of the Obama administration's education strategy — are facing resistance across the country, as they become more popular and as traditional public schools compete for money. What is causing the push-back on charter schools, beyond the local issues involved?

Portland School Helps Disadvantaged Students Soar

The Oregonian

March 15, 2010

Educators at Lent School in Portland know they face extra challenges to get their students ready for high school. More than 85 percent of the students are poor, and more than one-third speak English as their second language. But step into this little-known school of 550 kindergarten through eighth-grade students in outer Southeast Portland, and prepare to see success.

Children Enjoy Bilingual Program at Library

Miami Herald

March 15, 2010

The John F. Kennedy Library in Hialeah, FL recently celebrated the birthday of Dr. Seuss during its bilingual Cuentos y Dibujos (Stories and Pictures) program. The event was perfect for Janet Flores, who has been taking her three daughters to the reading program for most of their lives. "I always try to bring them every week," said Flores, 30. "I like it in both languages. It keeps them fluent in both. That's what I love about it."

San Jose Honors César Chávez

Mercury News (CA)

March 12, 2010

Rudy Chavez Medina was only a kid when his famous uncle, César Chávez, began contentious grape boycotts and fasted for peace and justice until the rituals almost killed him. But on Wednesday, when San Jose unveiled signs for a memorial walkway in honor of the late civil rights leader, Medina remembered a more intimate uncle.

Native Americans Ask Feds to Help Keep Languages Alive

Education Week

March 12, 2010

Native Americans told aides of federal lawmakers how they could change the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to better serve Native American students in a recent "listening session" hosted by the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

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High School Senior Breaks Language Barrier to Excel

The Post Journal (NY)

March 12, 2010

What comes easy for most students in U.S. schools has been a challenge for high school senior Rafael Kercado, who moved to Jamestown, NY from Puerto Rico when he was 7 years old. With no education and no knowledge of the English language, Rafael jumped right into first grade and worked hard.

Feds Examine LA Schools' English Learner Program

Mercury News (CA)

March 11, 2010

The U.S. Education Department is planning to examine the Los Angeles Unified School District's low achieving English-language learning program to determine whether those students are being denied a fair education. The department's Office for Civil Rights will investigate whether the nation's second-largest school district is complying with federal civil rights laws with regard to English-language learners, who comprise about a third of the district's 688,000 pupils, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Set to Come: Federal Guidance on ELLs With Disabilities

Education Week

March 11, 2010

The U.S. Department of Education expects to put out guidance soon on the civil rights of English-language learners who have disabilities and also those who are gifted. In a conference call with reporters yesterday, Russlynn Ali, the assistant secretary for civil rights at the Education Department, said the federal government will put out guidance in 17 areas, including some that touch on the education of ELLs.

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