Proposed Rules on "Nondiscrimination Under Programs Receiving Federal Financial Assistance through the Education Department"

In this testimony, Al Shanker urges the U.S. Department of Education that rules concerning bilingual education not be adopted. He states that the rules as written would cause undue financial burden on local schools to meet federal mandates with little federal funding. He further argues that the assessment methods for selecting students to receive bilingual education are flawed, and he notes the lack of teachers able to teach bilingual students. The rules address teacher training, which Shanker applauds, but he finds fault with their specifics. Additionally, Shanker argues that the Department of Education has neither legal nor constitutional authority to mandate curriculum in this manner. Finally, Shanker notes the potential these rules have to discourage ethnic and cultural integration and to interfere with the ability of students from different backgrounds to learn from each other.

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