(Name-mce) ListServ ListServ City Vents Anger at Illegal Immigrants

Tue Jul 25 22:03:23 EDT 2006

It is very distressing to see this message appear in this listserv, but here 
we are...
Anne, you are right, this is a country of laws and for many centuries those 
laws were put in place to protect whiteness and white people. So the laws 
that allowed some immigrants to arrive here through Ellis Island 
discriminated against those that lived in "undesirable" parts of the world.
Also, this concept that "America" is a land of immigrants can only be 
considered accurate if one dismissed the presence of Native Americans or 
first people.

Clearly the concept of PRIVILEGE needs to be part of this conversation. The 
privilege to name this country "America," the privilege to construct laws 
under one's own vision and then deem everyone else "illegal," even if those 
people have been in this part of the world for hundreds of years before, and 
the privilege to say "I gave up my language, why don't you." And the 
privilege to use the slavery argument to speak about the current labor 
situation, a gross distortion of reality...talk about being offensive.

To keep making the issue one of the "law-breaking" nature of people in 
search of a better life despite risking their lives (think about the mother 
of three small children that traveled through the desert with them to give 
her kids a better future) is to completely disregard the systemic issues 
that create the need for such a desperate act.

Finally, those that are obsessed with the "need" for undocumented immigrants 
to speak English have not spent any time with members of the Latino 
community. They not only try to learn English, even as they work two or 
three jobs, but as a Pew study proved, it is the group that assimilates at a 
faster rate than any other immigrant group.

Respetuosamente,

Jorge Zeballos (son of undocumented immigrants)
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Name-mce-bounces at nameorg.org [mailto:Name-mce-bounces at nameorg.org]
>On Behalf Of Anne Patricia Dobson
>Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 2:40 PM
>To: NAME-MCE - National Association for Multicultural
>EducationEmailDiscussion Group
>Subject: Re: (Name-mce) ListServ City Vents Anger at Illegal Immigrants
>
>
>
>
>Isabel. . .I am not speaking to what any person is entitled to UNDER the
>law. I
>realize that anyone in this country -- any human being, if you will --
>is entitled
>to equal protection under the law. However, blatant disregard for the
>laws of a
>country -- and entering the country illegally with the knowledge that it
>is illegal
>to do so -- does not give you the right or PRIVILEGE of being considered
>anything
>BUT an "illegal." PEOPLE HAVE A CHOICE. Yes, they do. They may have to
>choose to live outside the law to attempt to gain a greater good, but
>people have
>a choice. The minute tentacles of "what if" or "because this is so"
>do not negate the facts of what situation people are in.
>
>I am not referring to an entire culture -- Hispanic or other -- as
>"illegals."
>I am referring to those individuals from WHATEVER COUNTRY come into
>America without
>benefit of following the prescribed rules and regulation.
>
>If I went to another country illegally -- without benefit of passport or
>visa --
>then I, IN THAT COUNTRY, would be al illegal alien. However, not all
>people related
>to me -- by blood or culture -- would be "illegals."
>
>Anne
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
> >From: "Vazquez, Isabel" <isabel.vazquez at lausd.net>
> >Sent: Jul 25, 2006 3:14 PM
> >To: Anne Patricia Dobson <apdobson at ix.netcom.com>, NAME-MCE - National
>Association for Multicultural Education EmailDiscussion Group
><Name-mce at nameorg.org>
> >Subject: RE: (Name-mce) ListServ City Vents Anger at Illegal Immigrants
> >
> >In addition to defining the basis of US Citizenship and the rights of
>US
> >citizens, the 14th Amendment extends rights to all human beings who
>find
> >themselves in this country as follows "...nor shall any State deprive
> >any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law;
> >nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of
> >the laws." Only an immigration judge can find an individual in
>violation
> >of US immigration law after a hearing in which all facts are presented.
> >Only the affected individual has the authority to waive that right by
> >consenting to voluntary deportation without a hearing. Without one of
> >these two occurring there is no legal basis to assign guilt
>(presumption
> >of innocence until proven guilty principle) and define a person as an
> >"illegal alien." More importantly and regardless of intent, defining an
> >individual or entire populations as "illegals" is dehumanizing -- a
> >person may commit an illegal act but the person is not illegal.
> >Isabel
> >
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Name-mce-bounces at nameorg.org
>[mailto:Name-mce-bounces at nameorg.org]
> >On Behalf Of Anne Patricia Dobson
> >Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 7:52 AM
> >To: NAME-MCE - National Association for Multicultural Education
> >EmailDiscussion Group
> >Subject: Re: (Name-mce) ListServ City Vents Anger at Illegal Immigrants
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >I may be putting my foot in the "Devil's Advocate" waters, but are
>those
> >
> >that disagree with the CONCEPT of illegal aliens disagreeing with the
> >idea
> >of immigrants or disagreeing with the idea that they are ILLEGAL. Yes,
> >America is a country of immigrants. Even the first people apparently
> >immigrated over the land bridge that connected us to Europe. However,
> >since
> >we have become a nation and established LAWS we have a LEGAL WAY of
> >doing
> >something. Not only coming into this country but in behaviors when we
> >are
> >here.
> >
> >My mother is a first generation American.
> >
> >My grandparents came to this country through Ellis Island.
> >
> >They went to school and became citizens.
> >
> >Though they spoke their native language, and though my mother's first
> >language was NOT American English, the whole family LEARNED American
> >English. This, they saw, was to their own and their children's
>benefits.
> >
> >They did not give up their culture, or their identity, or whatever else
> >you
> >think you may give up by learning another language.
> >
> >As to the crochet that illegal aliens are doing work that Americans
>will
> >not
> >do. . .I find that argument extremely offensive. Does that mean we
> >should
> >not have done away with slavery because there were, after all, jobs
>that
> >
> >Blacks would do that Whites would not? Does that meant that we should,
> >by
> >not objecting to illegal immigrants, agree with the fact that it is OK
> >to
> >put people to work doing sub-human (if "we" won't do it then it must be
>
> >sub-human because, after all, we are only human beings) work because
> >they
> >are illegals? That by KEEPING THEM ILLEGALS we have, in effect, given
> >them
> >the privilege of being slaves we do not own but only control?
> >
> >I really believe that we need to see this as an issue of ILLEGALITY and
> >not
> >an issue of anti-immigration.
> >
> >Why is it so much better to keep a group of people ILLEGAL than to work
> >to
> >change immigration laws or make them "legal" in two countries so they
> >can go
> >back and forth to see their families?
> >
> >I know, too, that there is a problem with NOT requiring people to speak
> >the
> >language of the country that they immigrate to: it helps to keep them
> >illiterate in two languages and in two worlds. Again, much better to
> >CONTROL
> >a group of people that way.
> >
> >As for the last sentence in the article, I believe that the reporter
>got
> >it
> >wrong. It is not anti-Hispanic at all. She is misinterpreting the
> >direction
> >that all such argument should go. IT IS ANTI ILLEGALITY.
> >
> >ANNE PATRICIA DOBSON
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >>From: Bertha Mo <mob at potsdam.edu>
> >>Sent: Jul 24, 2006 8:27 AM
> >>To: NAME-MCE - National Association for Multicultural Education Email
> >>	Discussion Group <Name-mce at nameorg.org>
> >>Cc: name-mce at nameorg.org
> >>Subject: Re: (Name-mce) ListServ City Vents Anger at Illegal
>Immigrants
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>The majority of people in the US are immigrants.  Due to restrictive
> >>immigrant laws, many of our ancestors came here illegally. And many of
> >our
> >>ancestors were forced to flee to America because our way of life was
> >>deemed illegal.
> >>
> >>The Bible says, "He/She who is blameless shall cast the first
>stone..."
> >>for students who are on the right.  I am sure we can find sayings for
> >>those who are objecting from the left...
> >>
> >>Best,
> >>
> >>Bertie Mo, Ph.D., MPH
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> I teach Communication in a midwestern university and I see these
> >>> attitudes from students.....what can we do to change this?  I've
> >hosted
> >>> class discussions and we focus on stereotyping and discrimination.
> >>> There must be more we can do!
> >>>
> >>>>>> khyati at fdu.edu 07/22/06 1:33 PM >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> This is a mailing of the National Association for Multicultural
> >Education
> >>> -
> >>> (NAME) Listserv list - www.nameorg.org. The materials included
> >reflect
> >>> diverse perspectives of NAME Listserv participants and do not
> >necessarily
> >>> reflect a position of the National Association for Multicultural
> >>> Education. If you would like to subscribe (or unsubscribe)to this
> >listserv
> >>> go to http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Name-mce mailing list
> >>> Name-mce at nameorg.org
> >>> http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>_______________________________________________
> >>This is a mailing of the National Association for Multicultural
> >Education -
> >>(NAME) Listserv list - www.nameorg.org. The materials included reflect
> >diverse perspectives of NAME Listserv participants and do not
> >necessarily reflect a position of the National Association for
> >Multicultural Education. If you would like to subscribe (or
> >unsubscribe)to this listserv go to
> >http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>Name-mce mailing list
> >>Name-mce at nameorg.org
> >>http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
> >>
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >This is a mailing of the National Association for Multicultural
> >Education -
> >(NAME) Listserv list - www.nameorg.org. The materials included reflect
> >diverse perspectives of NAME Listserv participants and do not
> >necessarily reflect a position of the National Association for
> >Multicultural Education. If you would like to subscribe (or
> >unsubscribe)to this listserv go to
> >http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
> >
> >
> >
> >Name-mce mailing list
> >Name-mce at nameorg.org
> >http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
> >
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>This is a mailing of the National Association for Multicultural
>Education -
>(NAME) Listserv list - www.nameorg.org. The materials included reflect
>diverse perspectives of NAME Listserv participants and do not
>necessarily reflect a position of the National Association for
>Multicultural Education. If you would like to subscribe (or
>unsubscribe)to this listserv go to
>http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
>
>
>
>Name-mce mailing list
>Name-mce at nameorg.org
>http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Message: 2
>Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 16:17:45 -0700
>From: "Vazquez, Isabel" <isabel.vazquez at lausd.net>
>Subject: Re: (Name-mce) ListServ City Vents Anger at Illegal
>	Immigrants
>To: "Anne Patricia Dobson" <apdobson at ix.netcom.com>,	"NAME-MCE -
>	National Association for Multicultural Education	EmailDiscussion
>	Group" <Name-mce at nameorg.org>
>Message-ID:
>	<EFFEBF5D8EC69B4D977E6D71DF4D26F501ACC467 at mailbe-la05.lausd.net>
>Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="US-ASCII"
>
>I thought the issue had to do with legality vs. illegality which can
>only be determined by law. Is it about the law or isn't it? We have no
>way of knowing if a person is here "illegally" unless we have access to
>the outcome of a decision made by an immigration judge (if found guilty
>the person is deported and no longer here)or to the signed voluntary
>departure agreement (the person is deported and no longer here). If
>there has been no hearing or voluntary departure agreement, then a
>person has not been proven to be in violation of the law by an impartial
>judge. I do understand that our world views on this issue are influenced
>by privilege and historical experience. Did you know that the US
>government deported US born citizens of Mexican ancestry in the 1930's
>and again the 1950's? Do you know of any US born citizens of European
>ancestry that were deported "back" to Europe? Let's get real here -- it
>has everything to do with national origin. Do you see any fences being
>built along our northern border?
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Name-mce-bounces at nameorg.org [mailto:Name-mce-bounces at nameorg.org]
>On Behalf Of Anne Patricia Dobson
>Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 12:40 PM
>To: NAME-MCE - National Association for Multicultural
>EducationEmailDiscussion Group
>Subject: Re: (Name-mce) ListServ City Vents Anger at Illegal Immigrants
>
>
>
>
>Isabel. . .I am not speaking to what any person is entitled to UNDER the
>law. I
>realize that anyone in this country -- any human being, if you will --
>is entitled
>to equal protection under the law. However, blatant disregard for the
>laws of a
>country -- and entering the country illegally with the knowledge that it
>is illegal
>to do so -- does not give you the right or PRIVILEGE of being considered
>anything
>BUT an "illegal." PEOPLE HAVE A CHOICE. Yes, they do. They may have to
>choose to live outside the law to attempt to gain a greater good, but
>people have
>a choice. The minute tentacles of "what if" or "because this is so"
>do not negate the facts of what situation people are in.
>
>I am not referring to an entire culture -- Hispanic or other -- as
>"illegals."
>I am referring to those individuals from WHATEVER COUNTRY come into
>America without
>benefit of following the prescribed rules and regulation.
>
>If I went to another country illegally -- without benefit of passport or
>visa --
>then I, IN THAT COUNTRY, would be al illegal alien. However, not all
>people related
>to me -- by blood or culture -- would be "illegals."
>
>Anne
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
> >From: "Vazquez, Isabel" <isabel.vazquez at lausd.net>
> >Sent: Jul 25, 2006 3:14 PM
> >To: Anne Patricia Dobson <apdobson at ix.netcom.com>, NAME-MCE - National
>Association for Multicultural Education EmailDiscussion Group
><Name-mce at nameorg.org>
> >Subject: RE: (Name-mce) ListServ City Vents Anger at Illegal Immigrants
> >
> >In addition to defining the basis of US Citizenship and the rights of
>US
> >citizens, the 14th Amendment extends rights to all human beings who
>find
> >themselves in this country as follows "...nor shall any State deprive
> >any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law;
> >nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of
> >the laws." Only an immigration judge can find an individual in
>violation
> >of US immigration law after a hearing in which all facts are presented.
> >Only the affected individual has the authority to waive that right by
> >consenting to voluntary deportation without a hearing. Without one of
> >these two occurring there is no legal basis to assign guilt
>(presumption
> >of innocence until proven guilty principle) and define a person as an
> >"illegal alien." More importantly and regardless of intent, defining an
> >individual or entire populations as "illegals" is dehumanizing -- a
> >person may commit an illegal act but the person is not illegal.
> >Isabel
> >
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Name-mce-bounces at nameorg.org
>[mailto:Name-mce-bounces at nameorg.org]
> >On Behalf Of Anne Patricia Dobson
> >Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 7:52 AM
> >To: NAME-MCE - National Association for Multicultural Education
> >EmailDiscussion Group
> >Subject: Re: (Name-mce) ListServ City Vents Anger at Illegal Immigrants
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >I may be putting my foot in the "Devil's Advocate" waters, but are
>those
> >
> >that disagree with the CONCEPT of illegal aliens disagreeing with the
> >idea
> >of immigrants or disagreeing with the idea that they are ILLEGAL. Yes,
> >America is a country of immigrants. Even the first people apparently
> >immigrated over the land bridge that connected us to Europe. However,
> >since
> >we have become a nation and established LAWS we have a LEGAL WAY of
> >doing
> >something. Not only coming into this country but in behaviors when we
> >are
> >here.
> >
> >My mother is a first generation American.
> >
> >My grandparents came to this country through Ellis Island.
> >
> >They went to school and became citizens.
> >
> >Though they spoke their native language, and though my mother's first
> >language was NOT American English, the whole family LEARNED American
> >English. This, they saw, was to their own and their children's
>benefits.
> >
> >They did not give up their culture, or their identity, or whatever else
> >you
> >think you may give up by learning another language.
> >
> >As to the crochet that illegal aliens are doing work that Americans
>will
> >not
> >do. . .I find that argument extremely offensive. Does that mean we
> >should
> >not have done away with slavery because there were, after all, jobs
>that
> >
> >Blacks would do that Whites would not? Does that meant that we should,
> >by
> >not objecting to illegal immigrants, agree with the fact that it is OK
> >to
> >put people to work doing sub-human (if "we" won't do it then it must be
>
> >sub-human because, after all, we are only human beings) work because
> >they
> >are illegals? That by KEEPING THEM ILLEGALS we have, in effect, given
> >them
> >the privilege of being slaves we do not own but only control?
> >
> >I really believe that we need to see this as an issue of ILLEGALITY and
> >not
> >an issue of anti-immigration.
> >
> >Why is it so much better to keep a group of people ILLEGAL than to work
> >to
> >change immigration laws or make them "legal" in two countries so they
> >can go
> >back and forth to see their families?
> >
> >I know, too, that there is a problem with NOT requiring people to speak
> >the
> >language of the country that they immigrate to: it helps to keep them
> >illiterate in two languages and in two worlds. Again, much better to
> >CONTROL
> >a group of people that way.
> >
> >As for the last sentence in the article, I believe that the reporter
>got
> >it
> >wrong. It is not anti-Hispanic at all. She is misinterpreting the
> >direction
> >that all such argument should go. IT IS ANTI ILLEGALITY.
> >
> >ANNE PATRICIA DOBSON
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >>From: Bertha Mo <mob at potsdam.edu>
> >>Sent: Jul 24, 2006 8:27 AM
> >>To: NAME-MCE - National Association for Multicultural Education Email
> >>	Discussion Group <Name-mce at nameorg.org>
> >>Cc: name-mce at nameorg.org
> >>Subject: Re: (Name-mce) ListServ City Vents Anger at Illegal
>Immigrants
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>The majority of people in the US are immigrants.  Due to restrictive
> >>immigrant laws, many of our ancestors came here illegally. And many of
> >our
> >>ancestors were forced to flee to America because our way of life was
> >>deemed illegal.
> >>
> >>The Bible says, "He/She who is blameless shall cast the first
>stone..."
> >>for students who are on the right.  I am sure we can find sayings for
> >>those who are objecting from the left...
> >>
> >>Best,
> >>
> >>Bertie Mo, Ph.D., MPH
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> I teach Communication in a midwestern university and I see these
> >>> attitudes from students.....what can we do to change this?  I've
> >hosted
> >>> class discussions and we focus on stereotyping and discrimination.
> >>> There must be more we can do!
> >>>
> >>>>>> khyati at fdu.edu 07/22/06 1:33 PM >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> This is a mailing of the National Association for Multicultural
> >Education
> >>> -
> >>> (NAME) Listserv list - www.nameorg.org. The materials included
> >reflect
> >>> diverse perspectives of NAME Listserv participants and do not
> >necessarily
> >>> reflect a position of the National Association for Multicultural
> >>> Education. If you would like to subscribe (or unsubscribe)to this
> >listserv
> >>> go to http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Name-mce mailing list
> >>> Name-mce at nameorg.org
> >>> http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>_______________________________________________
> >>This is a mailing of the National Association for Multicultural
> >Education -
> >>(NAME) Listserv list - www.nameorg.org. The materials included reflect
> >diverse perspectives of NAME Listserv participants and do not
> >necessarily reflect a position of the National Association for
> >Multicultural Education. If you would like to subscribe (or
> >unsubscribe)to this listserv go to
> >http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>Name-mce mailing list
> >>Name-mce at nameorg.org
> >>http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
> >>
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >This is a mailing of the National Association for Multicultural
> >Education -
> >(NAME) Listserv list - www.nameorg.org. The materials included reflect
> >diverse perspectives of NAME Listserv participants and do not
> >necessarily reflect a position of the National Association for
> >Multicultural Education. If you would like to subscribe (or
> >unsubscribe)to this listserv go to
> >http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
> >
> >
> >
> >Name-mce mailing list
> >Name-mce at nameorg.org
> >http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
> >
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>This is a mailing of the National Association for Multicultural
>Education -
>(NAME) Listserv list - www.nameorg.org. The materials included reflect
>diverse perspectives of NAME Listserv participants and do not
>necessarily reflect a position of the National Association for
>Multicultural Education. If you would like to subscribe (or
>unsubscribe)to this listserv go to
>http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
>
>
>
>Name-mce mailing list
>Name-mce at nameorg.org
>http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Message: 3
>Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 13:52:48 -1000
>From: "Villanueva Anselmo" <villanuevaa at prel.org>
>Subject: (Name-mce) ListServ As Latino students near a majority in
>	public	schools...
>To: <name-mce at nameorg.org>
>Message-ID:
>	<FF12B7F1632D3646A93425D4345A28AB8F2BB0 at PRELMAIL1.prel.org>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>Posted on Mon, Jul. 24, 2006
>
>Change in education: As Latino students near a majority in public
>schools, questions arise on how California will address shift
>
>By Andrew Becker
>
>CONTRA COSTA TIMES
>
>
>
>http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/living/education/15110971.ht
>m
>
>
>
>Within three years, California will become the nation's second state,
>after New Mexico, in which a majority of public school students are
>Latino, according to state projections.
>
>Although Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently appointed the president of
>San Jose's National Hispanic University to the state Board of Education,
>the shift has been largely ignored in Sacramento. The change, in a state
>that less than 20 years ago was majority white, raises questions of
>whether Latino students should be forced to assimilate or schools should
>adapt to students. Specifically,
>
>* How should students with poor English-language skills be taught in a
>state that has essentially tossed out bilingual education?
>
>* Should teacher recruitment emphasize Spanish speakers and Latino
>teachers?
>
>* What subject matter should students be taught and with what books?
>
>* How can schools manage cultural differences, such as improving Latino
>parental involvement in their children's education?
>
>At stake are the state's future economic prosperity and whether Latino
>students will be an asset or a burden to the state, some educators say.
>How California deals with the change will be a model -- or a lesson --
>for the rest of the country.
>
>"I'm constantly impressed with the little attention we have paid to the
>massive demographic changes in this state," said Patricia Gandara of
>Policy Analysis for California Education and a professor of education at
>UC Davis. The state has been aware of the shift, but "we haven't done
>anything."
>
>Gandara said that past and present politicians in Sacramento have lacked
>the political will to address the change. She says the state Board of
>Education, which adopts textbooks for grades K-8 and establishes
>curriculum, has failed to acknowledge the shift.
>
>If the state doesn't concentrate more on the coming Latino majority,
>schools will see higher dropout rates, more gang involvement and more
>disaffected students who are less motivated to learn, said Jill Kerper
>Mora, an associate professor of teacher education at San Diego State.
>The bottom line is schools have to adapt to the biculturalism of
>students, she said.
>
>"Schools have to change because society is marching forward," said Mora,
>who sits on the executive board of the California Association for
>Bilingual Education. "(The demographic shift) has been ignored because a
>lot of this has been an ethnic conflict -- between mainstream society
>and the emerging Latino community that has different linguistic and
>cultural characteristics."
>
>State schools chief Jack O'Connell says that although there is room to
>improve, the state is on the right path -- sticking to high standards --
>in how it teaches its Latino children.
>
>"We're not going to refight old bilingual wars. We need to make sure we
>have quality programs for all students," O'Connell said, adding that
>test scores for Latinos have improved. "The structure and mechanism are
>there for better student preparation."
>
>But Latino student advocates argue that more needs to be done, including
>adopting textbooks that aren't culturally biased, hiring more
>Spanish-speaking teachers who reflect the student body and encouraging
>more Latino students to enroll in rigorous courses.
>
>"Generally speaking, our school systems suffer from institutional
>racism," said Assemblyman Joe Coto, D-San Jose. "There are many, many
>cases of schools deciding students of color are 'not college material'
>and enrolling them in less than the most rigorous courses."
>
>Ana Karen Manzanares Garcia, 18, a 2006 graduate of Deer Valley High
>School in Antioch, believes her alma mater needs to do a better job of
>educating Latinos. Although there is a Latino Club at the school, she
>says Latino culture should be taught more. Few teachers speak Spanish in
>Antioch, she said, unlike the middle school she attended in San
>Francisco.
>
>"We're basically like a minority, even though we're not," said
>Manzanares Garcia, who will attend the California Culinary Academy in
>San Francisco in the fall. "They're not discriminating (against) us, but
>they're not noticing us."
>
>But Antioch school board President Bart Sandborn said school districts
>like his don't look at students differently because of their ethnicity.
>
>"We're here to treat everyone the same, whether the student is
>African-American or Latino or white," he said.
>
>The big picture
>
>With a little more than 3 million students, Latinos comprise nearly 48
>percent of California K-12 public school students, according to the
>Department of Education. The state Department of Finance projects that
>in the 2008-09 school year, the state will cross the majority threshold.
>By 2014-15, 54 percent of the state's students will be Latino, more than
>double the number of whites.
>
>For years, schools have been majority Latino in much of Southern
>California and San Jose and predominately Latino in East Bay districts
>such as West Contra Costa and Pittsburg. In most other Contra Costa
>schools, white students remain the vast majority. But this year for the
>first time the Latino population exceeded whites in Antioch schools,
>according to the Department of Education. Latinos became the biggest
>group of students in Alameda County schools in 2004-05.
>
>In the past 10 years, Latinos have gone from a quarter of the student
>body to half at Hillview Junior High in Pittsburg, where Principal Todd
>Whitmire has three or four staff members out of 80 who speak Spanish,
>the primary language spoken at home for half of his students. The state
>has had a long time to get a handle on the shift, he said, but hasn't
>done so.
>
>"I don't think (the state's approach to the demographic shift is)
>working at this point," he said. "It's a work in progress."
>
>A 2005 study by the Public Policy Institute of California reports that
>the state cannot afford to ignore the changing majority. Residents
>entering the work force in the next 20 years will increasingly be
>Latino, the study states, which means larger proportions will have to
>attend college to meet the employment demands.
>
>"To ensure a better future for California, we will need to significantly
>improve the educational outcomes of the Latino youth who will be the
>state's workers in the future," the study's editors write.
>
>Texas State Demographer Steve Murdock said the current picture for
>California and the short-term picture for Texas, where Latinos will be
>the majority of students after 2015, is the long-term future for the
>United States.
>
>"The challenge for our states and for all the country is that they
>(Latinos) have the skills they need to be competitive," he said.
>
>There are signs of success, such as rising test scores, but problems
>persist. Latinos' graduation rate is 11 points lower than the overall
>state average, according to one recent study. The latest results from
>the state high school exit exam show 85 percent of Latino students
>passed the exam, almost 10 percentage points lower than Asian-Americans
>and nearly 12 points lower than white students.
>
>"I don't think the state knows a lot about the best way to educate these
>kids and a lot of data have not been taken advantage of," said Robert
>Manwaring, director of K-12 education for the state Legislative
>Analyst's Office.
>
>How we got here
>
>California saw an increase in immigrants from Mexico, including higher
>levels of illegal immigration starting in the 1970s, State Demographer
>Mary Heim said. Many illegal immigrants living in the state gained legal
>status in 1986 when President Reagan signed an immigration reform bill
>that granted amnesty to 2.7 million undocumented foreigners nationwide.
>In turn, that led to chain migration, with naturalized citizens bringing
>in relatives, Heim said. In California, more than one-third of the
>population is Latino.
>
>"This is something we have been projecting for a long time," Heim said.
>
>The confluence of several other factors within the past decade has left
>the state's education system where it is today, according to Patricia de
>Cos, an analyst with the California Research Bureau, the nonpartisan
>research arm of the state Legislature and governor's office.
>
>In 1998, voters passed Proposition 227, the anti-bilingual education
>initiative. Around that time, the state Board of Education pushed for
>reform, adopting new English Language Arts and math standards. In 1999,
>California enacted school accountability to chart school performance,
>followed in 2002 by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. These things,
>coupled with a flagging economy and budget woes, dominated the attention
>of state legislators and local school districts. As a result, the Latino
>majority issue was passed over, she said.
>
>Despite efforts in the past decade to inform legislators, including the
>Senate Education Committee, de Cos and her colleagues haven't held
>legislators' attention on the issue of demographic change, which she
>attributed in part to term limits.
>
>"It's sort of like the sleeping giant that is coming into the room that
>nobody has really acknowledged," she said.
>
>Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, D-Los Angeles, who chairs the Assembly
>Education Committee, blames the recalcitrance of the state Board of
>Education and the demise of bilingual education for the inaction.
>
>"It's one thing to take away a tool in the tool chest," she said. "It's
>another thing not to replace it with anything except for materials
>written for native speakers."
>
>It would be impossible for the state to ignore the change, said Roger
>Magyar, executive director of the state Board of Education. He doesn't
>expect a radical shift in curriculum -- or the textbooks used -- unless
>there's a change in state standards.
>
>"We are not interested in creating curriculum that will leave some kids
>behind," he said. "We know we have to make changes in the school system
>to help all the kids. It's a difference in opinion if we're going in the
>right way."
>
>What is being done
>
>While Goldberg stopped short of calling for the return of bilingual
>education, she, Coto and Latino student advocates want to see the state
>adopt textbooks suited to meet the change. English and history textbooks
>and curriculum need to include more Latino and other cultures and be
>less Eurocentric, some say, and Coto wants textbooks that are less
>culturally biased. He also believes, as does Goldberg, that lesson plans
>shouldn't follow a one-size-fits-all approach. Moreover, Latinos are not
>a monolithic group; they are multigenerational Californios and recent
>immigrants, both legal and illegal, from across Latin America.
>
>High schools need to raise their standards to meet admission
>requirements for the University of California and California State
>University systems so more Latinos will go to college, said Francisco
>Estrada of the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
>Meanwhile, Jerry Okendo, local chapter president of the League of United
>Latin American Citizens, says there aren't enough Latino teachers or
>administrators in the Mt. Diablo school district, for instance.
>
>California Teacher Association President Barbara Kerr said, however,
>that the state doesn't need a plan to address a Latino majority.
>Instead, California should find more money to spend on teachers,
>materials and smaller class sizes, among other things.
>
>The state's 2006-07 budget allocates $315 million to focus on English
>learners and disadvantaged students and $25 million for additional
>teacher training. State legislators have introduced bills in both houses
>that address the 25 percent of students who are English learners, 85
>percent of whom speak Spanish. The governor's secretary of education,
>Alan Bersin, declined to comment for this story.
>
>More schools should also reach out to immigrant parents to help them
>learn the U.S. school system, Kerr and other educators say. Last spring,
>for example, schools in Antioch, Oakland and Richmond offered a
>nine-week course through the Parent Institute for Quality Education. CSU
>campuses reserve space for the children of parents who complete the
>course if they meet admission requirements. A growing number of schools,
>such as Meadow Homes Elementary in Concord and Foothill Elementary in
>Pittsburg, have turned to dual immersion programs in which English
>speakers and learners are taught in two languages.
>
>While teacher preparation and data collection have improved, ignoring
>biculturalism will mean missed benefits of arts, music, dance and other
>creative outlets, Mora, the San Diego State professor, said.
>
>"The crux of the matter is the reality of demographic change," she said.
>"Unless we see the potential the Latino community represents for the
>state of California -- instead of a problem or a challenge -- we're not
>going to make much headway."
>
>________________________________
>
>Andrew Becker covers East Contra Costa education. Reach him at
>925-779-7116 or abecker at cctimes.com.
>
>
>
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