History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
Youth Voice in School Finance
NEW REPORT: Los Angeles' road to A-G for all
Without Dollars and Sense Powerpoint
Past Educational Opportunity Reports
Schools rewarding English fluency
- 06-08-2010
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By Michelle L. Klampe/Riverside Press-Enterprise
When they began school, the four Mancilla sisters had to learn reading, writing and math, just like the rest of their classmates. But Blanca, now 13, Esmeralda, 11, and 8-year-old twins Isabel and Jocelyn faced another hurdle: They had to learn English. Several years later, the sisters, who attend schools in Romoland, earned their proficiency certificates and shiny gold medals to recognize their achievement. "When I heard I was going to get a medal, I was really happy," said Blanca, a seventh-grader at Boulder Ridge Middle School. "I felt like I made it." Mastering English requires students to do extra class work such as grammar drills alongside their regular school, even while they struggle to understand what's being said around them. (more...)
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