Language Barriers in Arizona/Prop 203

[amytrabs]

It is interesting to note that after Prop 203 (Arizona) was passed in 2000 and the case of Castaneda v. Pickard (1981- requiring school districts to do whatever they can to overcome language barriers that impede the participation of its students), it seems that 10-11 years later, those barrieres have still not been removed and resolved.

According to Forbidden Language, the state has failed in that respect. One of the aspects of Castaneda v Pickard was that it must somehow be DEMONSTRABLE that the district has succeeded in overcoming language barriers. The book states that as the enrollment in billingual programs decreased, the performances of the FEPS didn't vary much at all before or after Prop 203. It also states that students from BE programs tended to to do better on standarzied tets (in English) than those from EO programs. Other studies show that their BE programs significantly outperform EO programs. After ELs are classified to FEP, the book found that they fall behind significaly in achivement gaps (post prop 203).

Why hasn't AZ, after all these years, been able to prove that Prop 203 has been beneficial? Why haven't they been able to eliminate the language barriers?

[danielwelsch]

I'm actually from Arizona, but I've never worked there. When I was going to school, 1997-2001, it seems like the Spanish speakers were all whisked off to a separate wing of the school where they did ESL.

Seemed like a kind of silly strategy. Separate them, put them with other people who don't speak English, and somehow they'll learn English.

I don't know what they're doing now, but it doesn't surprise me that it isn't working.

Daniel.