Congressional APA Caucus Education Summit

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Congressional APA CaucusEducation Summit

• NCLB and API English Language Learners
• Dr. Clara C. Park
• Cal. State Univ., Northridge
• Imm. Past-President, National Assn. for Asian and
  Pacific American Education

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• Asian and Pacific Islanders (U.S. Census Bureau,
  2003)
• 11.3 million 4.1 of the U.S. population
• 17.9 of APIs spoke another language at home
• Over 30 Asian groups and 21 PI groups
  exhibiting amazing levels of diversity
• 10.4 spoke English less than very well,
  although in reality the majority of them may
  belong to this category, as most of them are 1st
  generation immigrants, and may not have responded
  to the census survey being limited English
  proficient.
• Approximately 2.25 million API students in U.S.
  schools 4.6 of total student population
  (48,610,618) (NCES, June, 2007).
• 1/3 are in CA schools.
• Asian American teachers1.4 of all teachers
  (3,315,000) vs. 4.6 of total student population
  APIs.
• (cf. White teachers83.3 of all teachers
  vs. 57.1 of total student population is Whites.
  )

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• Nationwide, 5,074,572 English learners
• 10.3 of total student population
  (49,324,849 in 2005-06)
• 10.2 ( 497,507.05) of them are APIs
• Roughly 22 of APIs are English language
  learners (ELLs)
• In California, there are 6,258,006 students.
• APIs 11.55 (723,545)
• Asians 8.25 (516,553)
• PIs 0.63(39,723)
• Filipinos2.67 (167,269)
• Whites 28.56 (1,787,192)
• African- Ams 7.39 (462,330)
• Hispanics 48.68 (3,046,432)

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• In CA, there are 1,568,661 English learners
• 25 of total student population
  (6,258,943)
• ( 31 of national total ELLs)
• 8.2 (128,630) of them are APIs.
• 16.3 of APIs are ELLs.

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English Learners by Language, U.S. ( 2000-01)
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(No Transcript)
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English Learners by Language, California 2006-07
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Table 1Statewide 2007 Base APIsOverall and for
Student Subgroups
Note Tables A and C exclude schools in the
Alternative Schools Accountability Model (ASAM),
special
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NCLB vs. Bilingual Education Act (1968)

• The Bilingual Education Act (1968) was enacted,
  as Title VII, an Amendment to the Elementary and
  Secondary Education Act (1965) during Johnson
  Administration
• --Contained a specific clause to provide
  L1/bilingual instructional services to nations
  growing ELL population
• --The original intent and spirit of the Act was
  to provide equal educational opportunity to
  language minority students, if necessary, via L1
  instructional services.
• --Since then, after every five years, the
  re- authorization of the Act has taken place and
  continued to preserve its original intent and
  spirit until NCLB was enacted in 2001.

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• For the first time in the history of the
  re-authorization of the Bilingual Education Act
  (1968), the NCLB (2001) has intentionally left
  out the provision of providing L1/bilingual
  instructional services.
• Instead, it included strong accountability
  component of adequate yearly progress of all
  students in nations schools and imposed stiff
  sanctions upon all states, school districts, and
  schools to annually assess all students (i.e.,
  ELLs and students in special education programs)
  by the use of standardized tests to demonstrate
  their annual AYP.
• Since 2001, schools and districts assessed even
  ELLs who had been in U.S. schools for less than
  one year.
• The assessment component of the NCLB has made
  individual states waste vast amount of fund in
  assessing all students (i.e., ELLs and special
  educ. students), when it could be well-spent on
  providing adequate instructional services to
  them.

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• ½ million API ELLs in nations schools are left
  in a quandary without adequate L1 services. As a
  result, No Asian ELLs Have even Left or Being
  Pushed Out!
• --Asian Dropout Rate in Lowell, MA 42.9 vs.
  Asian Enrollment 28.9
• --MA 1 ESL teacher / 61 ELLs
• -- NY 1 ESL Teacher / 259 ELLs
• -- WA 1 ESL teacher/ 74 ELLs.
• -- CA 1 Bilingual Teacher / 147 ELLs
• -- NY 1 Bilingual Teacher / 177 ELLs
• -- WA 1 Bilingual Teacher / 161 ELLs.

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The new NCLB must do away with the
assessment of Asian and other ELLs for the first
3 years, which is currently required. Provide
universities, states, and districts funds to
train ESL and Asian bilingual teachers
specialists. Use multiple forms of assessment
for Asian and other ELLs, not just standardized
tests. The U.S. Dept of Education, National
Center for Educational Statistics, needs to
collect a comprehensive data of ELLs and
certified ESL bilingual teachers, which is
disaggregated by ethnicity, native language, SES,
ELL status, and program type to effectively
address the instructional needs of Asian and
other ELLs.
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• Policymakers must be aware that
• -- There are vast Asian language resources in
  the Asian American communities which Asian
  immigrants have brought with them.
• --Thus, they can readily be tapped into to
  recruit them into teaching profession with
  financial incentives, i.e., scholarships or
  fellowships, in order to provide effective
  bilingual education for APA ELLs.

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• The new NCLB must include some fund specifically
  earmarked for L1/bilingual instructional
  services, ESL/bilingual staffing and training,
  and professional development of existing
  teachers.
• Provide more funds to states and districts to
  translate school documents, hire interpreters,
  and conduct parent education for new Asian and
  other immigrant communities and families.
• Require every state to collect a comprehensive
  data of ELL students and ESL bilingual teachers
  that is disaggregated by ethnicity, native
  language, SES, ELL status, and ELL program type
  to effectively address the educational needs of
  individual groups.

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• Expand resources for Asian ELL students for
  bilingual instruction in Asian languages, content
  assessment in Asian languages.
• Use absolute threshold (raw) number (i.e.,200 or
  more) and/or population ratios at a given school
  within districts rather than states to determine
  the needs of native language materials for
  assessment and instruction.
• School City State
• Cantonese-speaking ELLs
• Newcomer High, San Francisco 48 36
  1.4
• Korean-speaking ELLs
• 3rd St. Sch., Los Angeles 52 1.1
  1.1

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• Explicitly promote bilingual education and
  provide adequate funding to expand such programs.
• Require training in ESL, bilingual and SDAIE
  Methodology and multicultural awareness for all
  teachers.
• De-value high-stakes testing, use multiple forms
  of assessment, and create Asian language
  assessments.

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