Quote:
|
Originally Posted by mdoyle
Why didn't the unbiased media interview the Principal and bus company officials or at least cite where they declined an interview? Because it would have killed the story that's why.
|
The local media did talk to the schools.
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/930193.html
CNN just didn't copy the entire article up to their website, big surprise.
Regardless, it does sound like the bus driver used their fluency in English as a factor somehow when describing why the kids wouldn't be allowed. We don't know if he said "you can't ride because you speak English" or "you can't ride because this route is for a school that caters to poor English speakers...since you speak so well, you must not be one of the kids I'm supposed to take." Typical journalism. I can't decide whether to be angry or not because I'm not sure what the driver said, only what the reporters said the parent said the 8 year old said the driver said.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by NewHummerGuy
WHY IN THE HELL WOULD YOU BE SEGREGATING CHILDREN???? WOULD'NT IT BENEFIT THE NON ENGLISH SPEAKING STUDENTS TO BE AROUND THOSE WHICH DO SPEAK ENGLISH??????
|
As far as segregation, that's a tough one. There are a lot of pockets of non-English speakers around here (probably everywhere too).
Now the urban per-pupil cost of education is extremely high. Why? Because the general enrollment public schools say they have to handle all types of students. Disabled, handicapped, non-English speakers. Does this warrant a per-pupil cost of $13-15,000 per year for the students that aren't "challenged?" Probably not. So what if we take a load off the general enrollment schools by farming out the "challenged" students to specialty schools, for at least as long as it takes to get these students up to speed. You stand to make huge dents in the massive school budgets and allow general enrollment schools to focus on your average pupil.
I do acknowledge that this can create a segregation effect if, to be non-PC, certain classes of individual correlate as the "challenged" ones. But should we continue to give the public schools excuses for exorbitant budgets when the private sector or even public sector charter schools can step in and specialize on the students with "special needs?"
If these Hmong kids, whose parents refuse to assimilate, can be trained primarily to speak English and then kicked over the the public schools, every one might be better off. Otherwise, Johnny has to sit and twiddle his thumbs because half or more of his class is holding his class back because they don't understand the language.
The only risk here is cultural balkanization. These specialty programs have to:
a) make sure kids don't stay in their programs indefinitely, and
b) not put up with non assimilative behavior
I know that's a pipe dream. Just food for thought.