September 04, 2007
Another Reason To Send Your Child To Private School
OK, that headline was meant somewhat in jest. But the Arizona Republic has an incredibly depressing story about the state of English teaching in public schools. (Hat tip: VDARE via The Corner.)
A five-year review of English classrooms at all levels found that Arizona English teachers had a poor grasp of the language, which explains why test scores have declined in recent years (the reason for the study in the first place). Some of the more frightening snippets heard in class:
"If you have problems, to who are you going to ask?"
"Read me first how it was before."And last but not least: "How do we call it in English?"
Again, those are THE TEACHERS, not the students. Some of the teachers broke the rules and taught students in Spanish. Not surprisingly, the state officials conducting the review found that "children could not answer simple questions in English." Talk about fodder for the anti-immigration movement. (Note to Tom Tancredo: You're welcome.)
The problem isn't confined to states like Arizona that have a large Spanish-speaking population. A Connecticut community college, for instance, recently reported that just 60 percent of its incoming high school grads could handle college-level English coursework. One possible explanation could be the much-vilified No Child Left Behind Act. Education Week reports that some states lowered standards in their attempts to meet the qualified teachers requirement.
The unpopularity of NCLB could herald education's return as an election-year issue for the first time since 2000. That's no doubt a good thing. Millions of Americans don't have the luxury of sending their kids to Sidwell Friends or the Dalton School. President Bush in August signed legislation promoting science and math education. Tom Tancredo can't be the only American wondering if a similar package for English-language education is around the corner.
Graphic: Reuben Dalke
Posted at 3:35 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, Education, Republicans, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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