U.S Finds Programs For ELLs in Arizona Violate Civil Rights

Another beautiful Wednesday and it has almost been a full week without having to physically restrain a student.  
An article I read in the September 15 edition of Education Week I found interesting and it is something I brought up in our first seminar class on Saturday.  The ELL situation, this time in Arizona.  (I know, I know, scary Arizona with their no Martin Luther King Jr. day, no ethnic study courses and the controversial immigration laws.)  The title of the article by Mary Ann Zehr seemed to be somewhat misleading as I thought some grave civil injustice had been done and I kept waiting for the evil of Arizona to sprout its horned head once again.  Finally on the last section we learn that it is the way that potential ELL students are being surveyed was in violation of civil rights.  The article said changing the survey from three questions to one was in violation of federal law.  Although it had not seemed to lower the number of students who received ELL services.  After reading this I am sure there are things that could be done better to improve the odds of success for speakers of foreign languages, but to be honest, I am impressed at the effort made by America’s schools.
    Speakers of other languages have classes and teachers designated specifically for them.  That is amazing!  To live in a country where the common language is not your first language and that society cares enough to create a system for you to be part of that society.  Some people worry it may take longer for ELL students to graduate.  Well, yeah, it may take longer, but they have an opportunity to leave that school bi-lingual and with a diploma.  So it takes five or six years instead of four.  Bi-lingual with a diploma sounds pretty great.  
Here I will repeat a bit of what I wrote in class last Saturday concerning this topic.
As a member of a family that speaks a foreign language in the home, I found it interesting that educators are so concerned about how well my children speak English.  I say this because, as a parent I know it is my duty to help them and as a student of foreign languages I thought it was a common understanding that if I want to succeed in a place where a certain language is spoken, I will have to work harder than native speakers to achieve the same understanding.  If I do not understand grammar, vocabulary or what have you while studying history for example (whether a native speaker or not) it is my duty to enable myself to understand the term.  Learning on the job, in the classroom, and on the go is a great motivator.  I have to be my own agent and work harder because of the language barrier.  In the end, it will be well worth it.