(NAME-MCE) Hispanic parents sue over English speaking

[jean miller]

One of the problems we have faced at the California Community College level (I teach at De Anza) is that IF a student is not a native English Speaker, we don't always have the testing instruments in the appropriate language to determine if students have a learning difference.  
 In our placement process several students who were born here and native English speakers were placed in ESL classes because of the nature of their writing sample.  The students were, understandably, upset.  Apparently, the writing sample readers thought what they were seeing was second language interference rather than learning difference.  They then looked at the student's family name and made the referral.  At the Community College we can't recommend our special learning difference programs to students at the placement level, although we would like to be able to do that.
 Once again, we see how our systems are designed to serve the students of the dominant, mainstream (read white) culture.  As a white woman and an English teacher, I am very concerned by these instances of institutionalized racism.  
 I wish I had something more positive to offer.
 regards,
 jean
 
  



jean miller
 english department, de anza college
 408.864.5530
 "There is a strange kind of enigma associated
 with the problem of racism.  No one, or almost
 no one, wishes to see themselves as racist;
 still racism persists.  Albert Memmi, Racism

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