AI Creates Fake Humans to Advance Its Own Agenda
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Showing posts with label ELL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ELL. Show all posts
Monday, July 13, 2015
SKrashen: The ELL "Problem" and the Common Core "Solution"*
SKrashen: The ELL "Problem" and the Common Core "Solution"*: Stephen Krashen There is a problem with ELLs/Emergent Bilinguals (henceforth ELLs), but it is not the problem that is typically stated i... [READ ALL]
Saturday, March 21, 2015
SAVE Early Childhood Education in LAUSD. Save SRLDP!
SAVE Early Childhood Education in LAUSD!
SAVE Early Childhood Education in #LAUSD! @SRLDP1 https://t.co/a3qbwkJOKg pic.twitter.com/0S4Z98780E
— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) March 21, 2015Thursday, September 18, 2014
PCL: Legal Rights of Linguistic Minorities
First submitted September 13, 2014 to Peoples College of Law
"We therefore live in a period where the prevailing Zeitgeist is at least receptive to the notion that we do not have to be identical ethnically or linguistically." — Dr. Fernand de Varennes
In an era where right-wing millionaires use their obscene wealth to finance arch-reactionary legal firms like Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher to craft deceptive causes of action to destroy academic freedom, students' access to experienced instructors, and workers' rights in the shape of the horrific Vergara decision, it's somewhat hard to recall that occasionally the law is used to help, rather than harm, the remaining institutions of public education.
In the past, when civil rights were more vigorously defended than David F. Welch's "corporate rights," a public interest attorney represented one of our most marginalized groups: English Language Learners (ELL) in a landmark case — Lau v. Nichols. The case and its implications for the rights of linguistic minorities are discussed below ["infra" in legal parlance]. Today, we see ongoing attacks against both ELLs and any language program besides mainstream English. A perfect example is that of neoliberal reactionary Marshall Tuck, a candidate for California State Superintendent of Instruction. Tuck, a graduate of anti-public education activist billionaire Eli Broad's Broad Residency, is best known for shuttering all the heritage language academic programs, and most of the dual language immersion programs at the schools he ran.
This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision on rights of linguistic minorities. While the promise of Lau is still yet unrealized, the recognition of language rights in the midst of our "white supremacist capitalist patriarchy" is still something to take notice of. United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) Bilingual Education Committee commissioned the following public service announcement flyer, the text of which is also reproduced here. The prose was written by UTLA's Director of Bilingual Education, Cheryl Ortega. Flyer design was by education activist Robert D. Skeels, who is also a first year law student at Peoples College of Law.
In 1974, the attorneys for Kenny Lau and 1800 Chinese speaking students sued the San Francisco School District on the grounds that these students were not receiving equal access to an education by virtue of their inability to comprehend English. The unanimous decision of the US Supreme Court - "Under state-imposed standards there is no equality of treatment merely by providing students with the same facilities, textbooks, teachers, and curriculum; for students who do not understand English are effectively foreclosed from any meaningful education. Basic English skills are at the very core of what these public schools teach. Imposition of a requirement that, before a child can effectively participate in the educational program, he must already have acquired those basic skills is to make a mockery of public education. We know that those who do not understand English are certain to find their classroom experiences wholly incomprehensible and in no way meaningful."
The attorney for Kenny Lau and 1800 Chinese students in San Francisco successfully argued that "Taking people who are the same and treating them differently is one type of discrimination but taking people who are different and treating them the same, is subtler, but, is equally discriminating."
Language Rights are Civil Rights protected by the 14th amendment to the US Constitution.
40th Anniversary of the Supreme Court Decision on Rights of Linguistic Minorities
Saturday, August 23, 2014
UTLA Bilingual Education Committee PSA: LAU V. NICHOLS
40th Anniversary of the Supreme Court Decision on Rights of Linguistic Minorities by Robert D. Skeels
40th Anniversary of the Supreme Court Decision on Rights of Linguistic Minorities
In 1974, the attorneys for Kenny Lau and 1800 Chinese speaking students sued the San Francisco School District on the grounds that these students were not receiving equal access to an education by virtue of their inability to comprehend English. The unanimous decision of the US Supreme Court - "Under state-imposed standards there is no equality of treatment merely by providing students with the same facilities, textbooks, teachers, and curriculum; for students who do not understand English are effectively foreclosed from any meaningful education. Basic English skills are at the very core of what these public schools teach. Imposition of a requirement that, before a child can effectively participate in the educational program, he must already have acquired those basic skills is to make a mockery of public education. We know that those who do not understand English are certain to find their classroom experiences wholly incomprehensible and in no way meaningful."
The attorney for Kenny Lau and 1800 Chinese students in San Francisco successfully argued that "Taking people who are the same and treating them differently is one type of discrimination but taking people who are different and treating them the same, is subtler, but, is equally discriminating."
Language Rights are Civil Rights protected by the 14th amendment to the US Constitution
Monday, August 18, 2014
Monday, February 03, 2014
Restore Adult Education Now! Letter Writing Campaign
INCREASED FUNDING IS NEEDED NOW, NOT "SOMEDAY,"
TO RESTORE OUR PROGRAMS
California funding for Adult Education is expected to increase in 2015. However, there is no additional funding in Governor Brownʼs budget for adult education this year or next.
With the passage of Proposition 30 and higher state revenue in general, the current funding levels (a 70% or more reduction to what we used to run on before 2009) is unacceptable. In other words, maintaining present "skeleton" funding only continues the devastating cuts that adult education has experienced over the last five years since flexibility was implemented.
As you are well aware, these ongoing cuts cripple the ability of our programs to improve the education and skill level of the communities who depend on us to improve their lives and break the cycle of poverty. Due to ongoing insufficient funding, popular classes and entire programs have been cut, and there are long waiting lists for those that remain.
Adult education needs to be restored to pre-2009 levels in order to meet the demand for our programs.
It is teachers' and students' responsibility to communicate with our state representatives to let them know that the current level of funding is insufficient and hurts the communities that depend on adult education.
Please organize letter writing campaigns at your school directed at California state senators and Assembly members. Include these points:
- Adult Education needs more funding now.
- In the last few years adult programs have been deeply cut or eliminated.
- Adult education is essential for getting better jobs.
- Our classes have long waiting lists, and many remain closed.
- Many sites and programs remain closed, including popular Saturday classes.
- We serve only about one third of the students we used to serve.
Here's the website to find legislators' names and contact info:
Adult students fought along with us to get Prop 30 passed.
HERE IS A SAMPLE LETTER YOU MIGHT WANT TO USE
WITH STUDENTS:
Date:
from:
to:
Dear Legislator ________ (name/title here):
I am an adult school teacher/student/community member from your district in Los Angeles. It's great that there are no new cuts to California adult education this year. It's nice to know that so many of our lawmakers understand how important adult education is. However, current funding levels are not sufficient for our needs. We respectfully ask for your support to rebuild our essential programs now, not in a few years.
The deep statewide cuts to adult education during the budget crisis have left our schools and programs much smaller, much more crowded, and in many cases, shut down completely since 2009. In LAUSD, we still have adult education; however, we now have less than half of what we used to. Too many students still don't have classes to attend, and too many teachers did not get their jobs back.
Adult education students and teachers sacrificed during tough economic times, and we worked hard to get Proposition 30 passed in 2012. As a result, money is now coming back into the school district. So why are so many motivated adult students stuck on long waiting lists to get back to our studies? Why are so many classes and programs still closed, or cut back? We need our classes and programs restored this school year.
Adult education is essential to help people get better jobs. It also helps people improve their families' lives and supports healthier communities in many ways. We ask you to invest in the future of our families and our state, and restore funding now to support quality adult education.
Thank you.
Your signature
Your name
link to a copy of this letter in PDF for easy printing here:
This spring, teachers and students should work together to strengthen relationships with local elected representatives and community groups.
As we move ahead in this turbulent restructuring period, we have to to build/strengthen relationships with decision makers in our schools' communities. We want them to get to know us and the great work we do, the students we serve, and the challenges we face.
Ideas: Organize small delegations to your school neighborhood's state legislators' home offices on Fridays. Invite them to visit your school. You can also reach out to City Council members, and speak at your school's neighborhood council and ask for a resolution in support of restoring adult ed.
Places of worship, community groups, what else? Be creative!
For state Senators and Assembly members:http://www.legislature.ca.gov/legislators_and_districts/legislators/your_legislator.html
Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils: http://empowerla.org/councils/
Bob Yorgason, CTE teacher, Chair of CFT's CTE Committee, and your UTLA Adult Ed Committee Secretary, is interested in helping coordinate communication with neighborhood councils, on our AE issues as well as the District's misplaced priorities (for example,iPads instead of restoring adult ed and other important things). Contact him to work on this at ryorgason@gmail.com.
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO ANSWERED OUR CALL LAST WEEK
TO PROTEST TEACHER EXCLUSION FROM THE AB 86 CONSORTIA PLANNING PROCESS
Teachers across the state, with the support of our statewide unions, CFT and CTA, are fighting for inclusion as equal partners as planning for the future of CA adult ed moves ahead. The good news is that our voices are definitely being heard.
We refuse to stay quietly in the background and then react to already-completed plans created by administrators and other bureaucrats. Stay posted for more on this, including future actions you and your students can take.
Here's a link to to the video of the hearing January 29th hearing in Sacramento, including public comments at the end by teachers, students, and other supporters.
This video is really worth watching, because of all the supportive and positive statements about the need for improving and rebuilding our programs.
Your Dues at Work (CFT members)...
As a result of union pressure, CFT Secretary-Treasurer Jeff Freitas was speaker #1 during the public comment part of the hearing and very accurately spoke to our concerns.
ESL students from Northern CA speaking at the hearing
Thanks also to L.A.'s Irma Becerra-Nunez, who spoke on behalf of a statewide coalition fighting for state support for Older Adults programs.
Thursday, January 09, 2014
SKrashen: Heritage Language Development: Exhortation or Good Stories?
SKrashen: Heritage Language Development: Exhortation or Good Stories?: Lao, C. and Krashen, S. 2008. Heritage language development: Exhortation or good stories? International Journal of Foreign Language Tea...
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Cheryl Ortega for UTLA Director of Bilingual Education
Cheryl Ortega for #UTLA Director of Bilingual Education #LAUSD http://t.co/bQ32mfIniz pic.twitter.com/Usfrdc92jF
— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) December 1, 2013Cheryl Ortega for UTLA Director of Bilingual Education by Robert D. Skeels
Cheryl Ortega for UTLA Director of Bilingual Education
Endorsements
"I am an enthusiastic supporter of Ms. Ortega not only for her deep understand and support of bilingual education but also for her ability to see the big picture, to consider what is right for all students. In Gandhi's terms, Ms. Ortega one of the "perfect resisters" we need to win the battle of right versus wrong." — Professor Stephen Krashen
"Cheryl fights, heart and soul, for Bilingual Education and has a sense of justice that UTLA needs." — Lisa Karahalios Board of Directors Valley East, Milliken Middle School
"I wholeheartedly endorse Cheryl. Her dedication and tenacity are a great service to our teachers and students. She was there at the beginning of LAUSD's implementation of bilingual education. No one has the same experience or institutional memory that she has." — Marina Salas, Chair UTLA Bilingual Ed Cmte, Hoover St. ES
"We need to keep our most experienced, dedicated individual at the helm of UTLA Bilingual Education." — Robert D. Skeels
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
SKrashen: Afterschool English: Important information lacking...
SKrashen: Afterschool English: Important information lacking...: Sent to the South China Morning Post, Sept 11, 2013 The South China Morning Post reports that "Needy children in Hong Kong benefit fr...
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Save LAUSD's SRLDP Preschools for English Language Learners
Because we know that language learning doesn't occur in one year or even in a few months, it's over time.—Becky Palacios, Ph.D.
The School Readiness Language Development Program (SRLDP) is an amazingly effective Pre-K program for English Language Leaners. This isn't the first time that Broad and Gates' Superintendent John Deasy has tried to kill the program, it was on his neoliberal chopping block last year along with Adult Education and other vital programs.
This only serves to highlight a key problem with Governor Brown's just passed Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). When your local controller is little more than an incarnate version of the "corporations are people" school of aberrant thought, you will see local control prioritizing profits over people. Deasy has already been diverting Title I and Title III dollars to projects that don't benefit students. LCFF gives Deasy more money, but without the constraints of categorical funding. Money for SRLDP Preschools, school libraries or Adult Education? Nope, sorry. Money for Rupert Murdoch's DIBELS® or Laurene Powell Jobs' iPads? Sure we've got that.
Save LAUSD's SRLDP Preschools for English Language Leaners by Robert D. Skeels
WHEN? Tuesday, June 18th WHERE? The LAUSD Beaudry Building 333 S. Beaudry Ave. L.A. 90017 (In front of the Board Room) TIME? Get there as early as you can – before 9:00 a.m. Plan to be there the entire day. WHY? In protest of the proposed drastic SRLDP changes WHO? All SRLDP teachers, parents, and friends Wear yellow, bring posters, signs, flags, hats, musical instruments and anything you can think of that is pro SRLDP. Also bring water and a sandwich for yourself. This will be a big push to save our program. Let’s stand together in unity. This program is too valuable for the children and parents in our communities. If you don’t stand up for them, who will? We must be proactive to be productive. Be there on Tuesday! All is not lost! We are still in negotiations! EVERY SRLDP TEACHER MUST BE THERE TO MAKE AN IMPACT. BRING PARENTS & FRIENDS. SPREAD THE WORD!
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