Yesterday, Edutopia published an article on students who now have the opportunity to learn the Navajo language via the internet. The story of a high-schooler looking for a scholarship and wanting to return to her familial roots frames the news of a course offering by The American Academy—an online high school accredited by NAAS.
When looking [...]
The concept is simple – write Wikipedia articles using a more basic vocabulary and grammar then appear on the main English language site. This makes the articles more accessible to children and those who are just learning English, by reducing the relative reading level needed to read and comprehend the article. [...]
The State of Arizona has been ordered by a federal judge to increase funding of programs for English-Language Learners (ELLs) or else face fines up to $2 million per day. Reported by Education Week, the case will soon be heard by the US Supreme Court. The situation has gotten so complicated that even Ken W. Starr is now involved! The controversy is not about money, however, but about local control and who is to benefit from taxpayer dollars. Border states like Arizona have a high number of immigrants that may not be in the country legally and these make up the bulk of those ELL students. The real debate here is whether or not taxpayer dollars should be used to educate students who many people feel should not be allowed to use public schools or even be in the country in the first place. This is especially relevant in a state that has an disproportionately high number of immigrants.
Continue reading ELL Students to Have Day in Supreme Court
Technorati Tags: discrimination, EEOA, english-language learners, immigrants, Latinos, lawsuits, legal system, literacy, NCLB, school funding
Neil Postman, the NYU professor perhaps most known for his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, originally published in 1985, on the pervasive manner of television into our lives and our ways of communicating had previously written a book exploring the concept of childhood. The Disappearance of Childhood was originally published in 1982, but was revised and republished in 1994. Today’s post reviews that edition of the book and discusses the ways that the notion of childhood has been conceived in our minds may be eroding.
Continue reading The Disappearance of Childhood
Technorati Tags: literacy, sociology
While education may be dear to President Bush’s heart some questions still linger about this legislation. 1) Why does NCLB not fund schools to make necessary changes to personnel and curriculum? 2) Why are schools that show improvement still punished? 3) Why are “failing” schools closed and re-opened by private schools using public funds? 4) Why are there no consistent guidelines from between states, or even between districts on how to measure progress? 5) Why does the law equate testing with teaching? … this law was designed to punish our schools, not to improve them. [...]
Redefining Literacy (eBook Series Part 6)
With the technological advances of the 21st century does it make sense to continue teaching students with a 19th century mindset?, or do we need to update our concept of what it means to be literate in today’s world? [...]