California's English language learners getting stuck in schools' remedial programs
by By Rob Kuznia, Staff Writer
Melanie Perez wishes she could have played the saxophone. Octavio Reyes would have liked to take a computer science class.
Both students at San Pedro High School say they can't sign up for these electives because, at some point in their school careers, they were stuck having to take remedial classes for English learners - even though both speak English fluently and have performed reasonably well on English tests.
"I actually feel retarded when (the teacher) says, `What is this (word)?' and it's a carrot," Octavio said. "It's pointless. I already know it, and I don't think it helps me."
Their complaints highlight a wider problem that, although little known, could be among the state's most
Economic Impact Aid (EIA) funds
State Sen. Alex Padilla faults some school districts for banking money they receive from the state meant for English learners and low-income students. This year he passed a bill that seeks to provide more transparency with these funds.Beginning Jan. 1, local school districts will be required to prominently post online their budgets and carryovers in these accounts, as well as explain why the money hasn’t been spent.
To find out how much money your local school district received in 2010-11 for these groups -- and the size of its reserve -- simply type the name of the district in the field.
The funds in question are known as “Economic Impact Aid,” or – as this chart says – EIA funds. The “reserve balance” is the unspent amount. The 2010-11 EIA entitlement is the amount those districts received that year.
Online Database by Caspio
LAUSD moves to speed English learners into mainstream
by By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer
Triggered by a federal civil rights investigation, Los Angeles Unified has launched a network of programs designed to more quickly move English learners into mainstream academic classes and help close the achievement gap.
California is preserving penmanship in a digital age
by By Christina Hoag, Associated Press Writer
The pen may not be as mighty as the keyboard these days, but California and a handful of states are not giving up on handwriting entirely.
