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
Valuing both breadth and depth in language education
- 08-26-2011
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Blog by Marjorie Faulstich Orellana/Huffington Post
In my last column I suggested that schools often don't see and appreciate the bilingual virtuosity of immigrant youth. They focus instead on what these children lack -- i.e. proficiency in English. I suggested that there are different ways of viewing limitations. These thoughts were inspired by a colleague, Luis Moll, who once joked, during the time in which schools labeled some kids as LEPs ("Limited English Proficient"): "Well, there are LEPs and LTEPs: those who are limited in English, and those who are limited to English." However, my intention is not simply to invert the equation of giftedness and deficiency. I don't really want to put a "limited" language on anyone. Children who grow up speaking only English, in its standard form, may develop deep proficiency in the language. They have a set of skills that are important for school success as we now define it in the United States. (more...)
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