White Flight It?

There are many reasons that a school like Harding may not fit the academic profile of high achievement. Parents do need to set examples about what they value and don't value and they do need to adapt to provide families with the best opportunities available.

However, poverty does set back many students and their families. Maladaption to a culture, whether here or in another country like Mexico, also causes problems. Ironically, the isolationist tendencies of Americans seems to hold as true for some people from the U.S. as for some people from Mexico: being proud of knowing only one language and refusing to negotiate other cultures is not conducive to enriching one's own life or one's children's lives.

What bothers me most, however, is that when people claim that the differences in school achievement are based only on racism, the possibility of solving all the problems that are inherent in a human population that is immigrant and poor are obscured. For instance, I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't a lot of undiagnosed learning disabilities to be found in a school where the students' families had to leave their homeland because of poverty. These could be treated. On the other hand, we could just make their lack of achievement a racial matter and never address what is really handicapping a child.

Wealthy hispanic families do not send their children to schools such as Harding or Franklin or others any more than wealthy families of other backgrounds do. Race and poverty correlate here but don't fall side by side in other areas. Some Mexican families work very hard, add a lot to the community, and deserve a lot of respect. So do families of all other backgrounds as well. Let's put some faith in these families.

(By the way, I would also like self-named multiculturalists to define what "unearned privileges" white, working-class school children have in schools where they are represented at 5 or less percent.)

"refusing to negotiate other cultures is not conducive to enriching one's own life or one's children's lives."

I don't see what is isolationist about the vast sweep of American culture. Look at the wide range of influences on American popular and classical music for example. The astonishing range of American scientific, technological and artistic achievements puts other nations to shame, and many of these were due to immigrants. Unfortunately, thanks to multiculturalism, many of today's immigrants, and not just from Mexico, have chosen to isolate themselves from this much richer and broader America.

In terms of linguistic isolation, why is Spanish the only foreign language English-speaking children are supposed to learn?

I realized "multiculturalism" is a misnomer, it really means that immigrants must stay within and obsess about their own culture.

The United States does have a unique culture of its own, along with subcultures, and I am very happy to be in this country. However, I can still explore other cultures and learn different ways. This helps me be a more flexible person.

A friend asked me what jazz was (because she is not from this country) before she signed up her child for a free jazz program for upper elementary students -- from all Santa Barbara schools, I believe -- that was held at Franklin School. The teacher is really great: Ike Jenkins. The program is sponsored through the Endowment for Youth.

Although many children speak other languages such as Russian, French, Cantonese, etc., two reasons for such an emphasis on Spanish is the majority rules of democracy and the ease of transitioning between Mexico and California. Many people immigrating from oversees aren't going to head back (relatively) quickly to their country of origin. It's too difficult a trip.

As the old adage goes, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink." This holds true, even in our schools. The role of parenting in the education process cannot be overstated. Children, by the very nature of what they are, cannot hope to understand the importance of their education and what impact it will have on their lives. Parents have to teach them that, coach them and encourage their participation in education.

Unfortunately, some cultural barriers interfere with the education process. Having lived overseas, I have personally witnessed the rejection of education en lieu of learning more "practical" trade skills. This scenario is dictated by attitude, not resources. Yet we fail to recognize the role of attitude in our daily lives.

For those wishing only to pass the responsibility for our choices to others, the answer is simple. We are what we do. We cannot shirk the responsibility that freedom of choice brings, unless we abdicate that freedom. But then, we would no longer be America, but just another in a long line of third world countries. The sooner we recognize this, the sooner we will fix that which ails us.

And in response to BarbaraS77, we are not a democracy, we are a Republic. We have a system of laws that doesn't allow for the "majority" to impose it's will on the "minority." That is democracy or mob rule, which our founding fathers rejected. Our form of governance allows for every individual to stand as an equal in the eyes of the law. That is the essence of who we are.

Those who come here must adhere to the laws of the land, or face the consequences. I do not, nor will I ever support the idea that there can exist a second-class citizen in this country. As a society, Americans are a melting pot with common bonds, not a salad bowl with distinct parts. The diversity mantra is killing this country because it focuses on our differences, not our similarities. If we are to survive, that way of thinking must stop.

One of those common bonds is our language. As English is the language of the land, so should it be the bond that ties us together. If English isn't spoken in a child's home, we should be encouraging English education by providing free lessons to ensure those parents become complete citizens and able to navigate our culture and enjoy the benefits of an advanced society. Education is the key to much of what ails us, as you probably already know.

and this my friend, is why No Child Left Behind will never work! Imagine a teacher with this class of mostly immigrant children and then a teacher of a class with mostly non immigrant children..and you expect these teachers to be able to have the same result in the end.
Even the best teachers in the world have to teach those of different socio-economic backgrounds and that does not mean every child is going to learn the same. Holding the teacher responsible for children who don't want to learn or who cannot speak the language properly is a shame.

"Imagine a teacher with this class of mostly immigrant children and then a teacher of a class with mostly non immigrant children.."

Actually, some schools filled with immigrants and their children do extremely well, such as Lowell High School in San Francisco. Lowell actually discriminates against applicants of Chinese descent in admissions. Students of Asian descent (an imperfect classification) do much better than white students, for example qualifying for University of California admission at a 31% rate as opposed to 16% for white students.

http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/lr...

Not all cultures are equal in their attitudes and approach towards education.

"The fault lies directly with parents, who themselves seldom speak English at a high enough level to encourage their children to do the same." -Tom Woodring-

On the surface, this is true, but when our society provides just about everything in Spanish, these parents are not going to learn English for the simple reason that they don't have to because human nature takes over. How many Americans can communicate well in a language other than English?...it's the same thing, they don't have to learn a second language so they don't.

Whether the motivation behind providing almost everything in Spanish, it's not a good idea. Here is another thing to think about: How does someone who moves to the U.S. from any of the other non English-speaking countries communicate from someone who speaks only Spanish? If we accept the idea that people from south of the border shouldn't have to learn English or *cannot* learn English (hmmm) than does that mean that someone from one of these other countries has to learn a *third* language (English *and* Spanish in addition to their own) in able to communicate?...or do we just keep climbing up the Tower of Babel?

Of course this is going to affect their kids, and I agree that no matter how much we try to jumpstart Harding school, until America stops treating Spanish-speaking immigrants as though they are different from the rest, I see no way we are every going to progress beyond this depressing cycle of failure.

"Whether the motivation behind providing almost everything in Spanish,"

I meant to write "Whatever the motivation...."