- San
Diego Union-Tribune
Friday, October 26, 2001
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- Ignoring
the needs of Latino students
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- By
Alberto Ochoa
- On
Oct 9, another licentious segment of our local
telenovela was broadcast at the San Diego City
Schools' Brucker Education Center. The climax
was the resignation of Sue Braun as president
of the Board of Education.
- Immediately
thereafter, a less melodramatic yet equally compelling
event took place. However, then and since, not
one word has been mentioned in our local mainstream
media. If not for the coverage by Univision and
La Prensa, no one would have heard about
it.
- The
event? The no-confidence vote by the Latino Education
Coalition of San Diego County over the implementation
of the Blueprint for Student Success by Superintendent
Alan Bersin and Chancellor of Instruction Anthony
Alvarado, and the administration's oversight by
the Board of Education.
- So
why no word on the no-confidence vote? Could it
be because the coalition is being misperceived
as a small group of disgruntled agitators? If
so, let me set the record straight.
- The
coalition consists of several prominent Latino
organizations from throughout San Diego County.
Among them are the Chicano Federation, the Mexican
American Business and Professional Association,
California Hispanic American Medical Association,
Mexican American National Association, UC/CSU
Higher Education Concilio, and the Greater San
Diego Chapter of the California Association for
Bilingual Education. Collectively, these organizations
include hundreds of Latino business, education
and community leaders.
- Could
it be because the plight of Latino children in
San Diego City Schools is not considered significant?
If so, understand this: The growth in the student
population over the past 10 years is attributable
to one group - Latino children whose primary language
is Spanish.
- From
1990 to 2000, the Latino student population grew
by 66 percent. Today, of our 147,000 students
in San Diego City Schools, 38 percent are Latino.
Of our 40,000 English learners, 77 percent speak
Spanish. San Diego City Schools has 30 percent
of all Latino students in the San Diego County.
- Over
the past five years, the coalition has dedicated
itself to addressing critical problems our Latino
students and parents encounter in San Diego City
Schools. It has committed itself to working with
all concerned to resolve these problems in order
to elevate the academic achievement levels of
Latino students. However, our efforts to work
with Bersin and Alvarado have continually been
dismissed, rebuffed or rebuked.
- This
past June, at a meeting with the superintendent
and chancellor, the coalition raised certain specific
issues outlined as "Eight Points of Concern."
In late August, the coalition received the district's
six-page response, which it considers unacceptable.
The districts response was purposefully superficial,
at best, and failed to provide any substantive
information or data. What are our "Eight
Points of Concern?" They include:
- (1)
A major conflict between how the components of
the blueprint have been defined and implemented.
This disparity between theory and action is denying
Latino students the opportunity for equal educational
access and academic rigor.
- (2)
A continuation and exacerbation of the achievement
gap between Latino and African-American children
on the one hand and Anglo and Asian children on
the other.
- (3)
A hiring and selection process culminating in
a central management and school leadership profile
that is non-representative of, and unresponsive
to, the growing diversity of our public school
system.
- (4)
A promising K-12 Biliteracy Master Plan that has
been undermined at the elementary level because
of the blueprint's implementation.
- (5)
An increasing lack of due process and respect
for Latino parents.
- (6)
A false academic program that consigns academic
rigor for Latino students to a "one size
fits all" approach that makes no distinction
between Latino students who are English language
learners or English dominant speakers.
- (7)
The lack of accountability on the part of key
decision-makers toward documenting the academic
progress of Latino students.
- (8)
The overwhelming tracking of Latino students (especially
English learners) into the math/literacy core/blocks
and genre studies.
- Contrary
to representations made by district administrators
and the editorial board of The San Diego UnionTribune,
the coalition has examined data that challenges
the district assertion of "steady progress."
Using SAT-9 test scores from 1998 to 2001, the
academic achievement gap for Latino students in
reading, language arts and math compared to Anglo
students has remained virtually unchanged. Further,
the achievement gap between students attending
racially isolated and non-racially isolated schools
has worsened.
- In
the past four years, the schism in SAT-9 test
scores between the 23 Carlin schools and others
increased from 16 percent to 25 percent in reading,
15 percent to 21 percent in math. Educational
tracking or lack of academic rigor exists when
one notes that 22 percent of Latino students vs.
51 percent of Anglo students graduate from high
school with the necessary "A to G" course
requirements to be eligible for the UC/CSU university
system.
- The
coalition expects dialogue that will result in
the needs and interests of the Latino community
being properly addressed by the "Blueprint
for Student Success" in order to truly make
a difference in the lives of our children. Positive
solutions can only be realized through proactive
and collective efforts. We will hold the district
accountable to do so.
- In
that spirit, the coalition submitted a written
request to the Board of Education to direct the
superintendent to immediately undertake corrective
action in seven key areas. So we ask: Will the
superintendent actively and sincerely engage Latino
community leaders to address our concerns? Are
we to expect more of the same non-response by
the school board?
- The
future of our children and indeed, of every child
in our public school system dictates that the
Board of Education and Superintendent Bersin not
further ignore those stakeholders who are part
of the solution -- parents, teachers, and community
advocates.
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