History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
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English learners still far behind using English-only methods
- 10-24-2011
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By Sarah Garland/California Watch
The end of the school day in Patty Sanchez’s kindergarten class at Geddes Elementary School is not so different from other kindergarten classes around the state. Children gather on a rug as Sanchez holds up a storybook about a coyote and a turtle and reads out loud. What’s different is that Sanchez is reading in Spanish. Nearly all of the children in the room are Hispanic, and many are English-language learners. The few who are new to Spanish are expected to follow along with the story, too, and respond in Spanish to Sanchez’s questions. Halfway through the story, she asks one little boy, a native English speaker, “¿Por qué está llorando la tortuga?” and quiets the children sitting nearby who try to whisper hints. When he struggles with an answer, she gives him a prompt: Is the turtle triste – sad – or feliz – happy? Finally, he gets it. “Triste!” he says. The scene highlights a continuing California debate: More than a decade after voters approved an initiative to limit bilingual education in public schools, the state is using a hodgepodge of programs. Meanwhile, critics contend, young students pay the price. (more...)
Also: California Watch
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