English for the Children
Mandated by the People, Skewed by Politicians and Special Interests
By (author) Johanna J. Haver author of "Vindicated: Closing the Hispanic Achievement Gap through English
Publication date:
23 May 2013Length of book:
218 pagesPublisher
R&L EducationDimensions:
237x162mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9781475802009
Silicon Valley software entrepreneur Ron Unz took on the education establishment, both major political parties, the ACLU, and several activist groups with his "English for the Children" movement that began in 1996 and ended on Election Day 2002. His campaign to dismantle bilingual education through ballot measures in four states - California, Arizona, Colorado, and Massachusetts - drew frequent responses from the national media that initially opposed and then supported Unz's cause. The initiatives passed with 61-68% of the vote in three states, but failed in Colorado.
Experienced teacher and author of Structured English Immersion, Johanna J. Haverdetails the politics surrounding the Unz campaign, explaining both sides of the issues honestly and respectfully. She outlines the challenges that ensued after the measures became law and discusses areas of concern that remain in dispute to this day:
Experienced teacher and author of Structured English Immersion, Johanna J. Haverdetails the politics surrounding the Unz campaign, explaining both sides of the issues honestly and respectfully. She outlines the challenges that ensued after the measures became law and discusses areas of concern that remain in dispute to this day:
- Identification, placement, and reclassification of English language learners
- English proficiency tests
- Segregation versus integration
- Compliance versus flexibility
- The Office for Civil Rights
- Federal and state funding
- Dual-language instruction as an option
Johanna Haver is an exceptionally brilliant education advocate and an outstanding writer. In this book she shows how the education bureaucracy will go to any lengths to keep the federal money flowing, even if its effects are destructive, and keep Hispanic children in a condition that deprives them of their independence but always in need of more government assistance. She further shows how useless and even destructive bilingual education methods can be. This is a must read for anyone who cares whether Hispanic kids ever learn to speak English.