Bilingual Education

AFT Convention 1980 State of the Union Speech

jruss — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:21:18 -0500

Al Shanker addresses union members and guests at the AFT annual convention. He discusses at great length legal, political, and judicial issues that affect public education including: a recent Supreme Court decision in the case National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) v. Yeshiva University in which professors were deemed management and thus unable to unionize; Lau Regulations, named for a court case, Lau v. Nichols, which mandated bilingual education; Youth Employment Programs that created publicly funded private institutions for high school students; the presidential Democratic Convention at which Jimmy Carter won the nomination over the AFT's endorsed candidate, Ted Kennedy; and the NEA's support of the Department of Education. Additionally, Shanker welcomed to the convention union members who were not involved in education as the AFT had recently added members from the health care and civil service fields. Shanker also welcomed international members and asserted the AFT's commitment to human rights and international aid. Shanker warned against tuition tax credits and vouchers. He also discussed partnerships with the business community to address dire economic conditions in the nation's cities, enlisting corporate help to support schools. Finally, Shanker states that education cannot be improved by political action alone, insisting that teachers commit to improving educational quality and relationships with parents.

Meeting of the Day Care Alliance, National Council of Organizations for Children and Youth

jruss — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:55:31 -0400

Shanker takes questions about issues facing early childhood education and his view points about day care centers. Shanker’s main points are that there needs standardization in early childhood education and that those responsible for teaching Pre-K education need to take a more active stance in politics, on the local level as well as the national. The conversation does however flow through various aspects of educating immigrants, paraprofessionals and funding public and private day care facilities.

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

jruss — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:43:47 -0500

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. read more »

Statement on Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and Related Issues

jruss — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:07:00 -0500

Al Shanker testifies before the Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education on the reauthorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Shanker supports the law''s reauthorization, but he has many suggestions for how it could be improved. His ideas address a variety of topics including financial support for disadvantaged students; bilingual education; and research funding. He also urges lawmakers to enact revisions that acknowledge the existence of collective bargaining agreements so that the law is no longer in conflict with existing labor contracts.

Testimony on H.R. 2682, the Bilingual Education Improvement Act of 1983

jruss — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:50:34 -0500

Al Shanker testifies before the Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary and Vocational Education of the U.S. House of Representatives. He gives AFT's endorsement to H.R. 2682, a bill to reform the current bilingual education legislation. He highlights four points from the bill that he believes will improve the current situation. read more »

Testimony on Limit on Bilingual/Bicultural Immersion

jruss — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:40:37 -0500

In this testimony, Al Shanker discusses Titles I and VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. For Title I, he recommends funding for basic skills training and a literacy initiative. For Title VII, he asserts that the bilingual education program should remain but urges that its transitional nature be enforced so that the program is used to move non-English-speaking students into English-speaking classrooms. Shanker also calls for more funding to train teachers in bilingual education settings. Finally, Shanker discusses the flaws in desegregation programs.