Fighting for Survival

My son attends Cesar Chavez Charter School and I would like to let you know of the academic rigor my son has experienced. For example, he has made meaning of multiplying whole numbers in such a way that incorporates using the area model. As a math major from UCSB, I am very pleased because this will help him with transition into algebra. He has learned about the circulatory system in spanish and english, learned to convey his thoughts into written form and is learning about decimals in spanish and english. How lucky is he.

I moved him from a Goleta elementary school and now drive him 25 minutes one way, everyday because of the growth I have witnessed. I would drive him an hour or more. My son, when I ask him how school is and what he did, I am no longer getting the "I don't know" response he tells me on the drive home about the explorers, the circulatory system and the stories he has been writing to say the least. I wake up everyday thankful that my son is excited to go to school and that I found this school that has helped him believe what I have always known that he is a smart and talented child. He has also helped the school meet the Governors challenge.

It is heartbreaking to hear him talk about his school closing. I wonder if this does happen what this would do to his morale. Would he stop believing that he is smart, would he take ownership for his school closing.

One last thing I would like to share. I had been trying for years to get my son to learn spanish. Leanne Patterson has taught my son to speak spanish. The other day we were ordering food and he went to the bathroom and unfortunately locked himself in. A man in spanish asked him if he needed help and he told him "ayude me". He asked the man for help in spanish. He came to me in tears that he was so happy that he could speak spanish.

Please if you are a parent please consider in favor of the CCCS charter renewal. I don't know where I would move him and how my family would cope with this loss.

You better believe that there will be an uprising if this charter does not get renewed. There are so many people in our community that really DO understand the dual language immersion program and support CCCS. I really hope the board understands the impact that this closure would have on the children of CCCS. It would be absolutely devastating.....If CCCS has come this far in the 10 years it has been open, imagine what they can do in another 10...Is the SBSD scared that they will surpass all other schools in 10 years? It's sad when the "man" running our school district is so closed minded that he can't see the true evidence put in front of him!

I am not an expert on teaching young children English as a second language while simultaneously keeping them on track with English speaking students in all other areas of study, but I imagine it is more difficult.

Obviously this is a specialized school with specialized needs and doesn't need to be directly compared to other schools with standardized testing.

This is what happens with top-down education directives. This is the reason why we should be opposing Federal Government intervention in education and leave it to the local communities. I would abolish the Federal Department of Education completely. I mean, for one it is completely unconstitutional, but there are many practical reasons as well. When the Federal Government gets involved, you find yourself in a lot more situations such as this one where regulations for one area may not suit another area so well. I'm not saying that this particular issue is Federal, but it is an example where strict standards have not been very well thought out by those who are providing funding from a higher level and there is no flexibility or recourse.

Then another problem you have when Federal funding is applied, then they may either use this to increase spending on education or direct resources elsewhere. When the school decides that some of what the Federal Govt. mandates is not in the best interest of the students, the Federal Dept. of Education threatens to take away that funding and all of the investment that was made initially can end up being lost. The school ends up deciding between following top-down government edicts or losing funding for important programs.

Keep education local.

I admittedly have had my doubts about the approach of this school, but it should be the parents, *not* the government that decides how their kids should be educated.

With academic freedom the problem will resolve itself: Either the skeptics will be proven wrong or prevail, or it may turn out that some of the kids do better in the charter school setting while others do better in a conventional setting.

One thing that cannot be argued: The Feds have really screwed up when it comes to running the education system.

Thanks loonpt. like your comments

Learning two languages when you're in elementary school is intelligent.

The top-down standardized education system prevents the development of creativity because it's a non-interactive system with children and parents. Even if you can do well on a rote, multiple-choice, white-oriented test, doesn't mean you can think. That's why music and art are untestable. They require creativity. And that's why they get the shaft when it comes to funding. Until the State gets out of controlling the teaching profession, creative kids and schools will continue to suffer.

Ojalá que me disculpen por hacer la pregunta siguente pero me pregunto si la gente aboganda la importancia de educación bilingüe y criticando quienquira en contra de ella puede entender esto.

Translation: "I hope you (plural) will excuse me for asking the following question but I ask myself if the people advocation the importance of bilingual education and criticizing anyone who is against it can understand this".

"people advocating" not "people advocation".

"Even if you can do well on a rote, multiple-choice, white-oriented test, doesn't mean you can think."

"White-oriented" -- This is really sick. Students of Asian descent in California are doing better on "white-oriented" tests than whites, which is why they comprise 40% of University of California undergraduates. If knowing English vocabulary and being able to solve arithmetic problems is considered "white" we are really doomed.

We could make Spanish the official language of California and of higher education, and I bet students of Asian descent would still do far better academically than Whites or Latinos.

"You better believe that there will be an uprising if this charter does not get renewed"

There is always an undercurrent of violent threats in the demands for bilingual education and affirmative action. Translation, we are taking over and you better learn our language and give us preferences.

Lest we forget: Spanish, like English was introduced to this continent by force.

If people truly want to be "culturally affirmative" and "anti-bias" they would call for the eradication of European language and return to the use of pre-Columbian languages. Of course that wouldn't be practical. Running that same train of thought to its logical conclusion perhaps they would see the need for those who live in the U.S. to be able to communicate with each other.

Another point/question: While I again emphasize the right of the César Chávez Charter School to exist without The State shutting it down, I wonder if the educational approach it advocates is thought of as being cutting edge in European countries where many of its residents are multi-lingual? (Assuming the idea has been presented to those countries) I know for example that in Holland and much of Scandinavia the number of people who speak at least one foreign language is over three quarters and they start them in grammar school.

How ironic that your chances of meeting someone who can speak English in Amsterdam, Stockholm or Copenhagen is greater than in many big cities in the U.S.

"If people truly want to be "culturally affirmative" and "anti-bias" they would call for the eradication of European language and return to the use of pre-Columbian languages"

This is actually being done at the LA Charter School, Academia Semillas del Pueblo Xinaxcalmecac . The Aztec language Nahuatl is taught along with Spanish. An LA talk radio show host (Doug McIntyre) tried to expose the anti-white racism and anti-Americanism at this school which led to lawsuits against KABC, and a physical attack on a KABC radio reporter by a school supporter. Here's an interview with the wack-job founder of Academia

http://tcla.gseis.ucla.edu/equalterms/di...

Like Cesar Chavez, Academia has extremely low test scores, but its charter has been repeatedly renewed.

Are local media being intimidated from really investigating Cesar Chavez School and Latino separatist organizations like PUEBLO and Casa De La Raza due to a fear of violence and lawsuits, as in the Academia/KABC case?

I don't have any strong opinions about how best to teach native Spanish speakers. However, I did bump into this recent article about another dual-immersion school, this one in Silver Spring, Maryland:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...

Similar to the Indy's article, the WaPo article mentions the idea of initially teaching Spanish speakers to read/write Spanish in order to build skills for learning English. If by the time they're in fifth grade these kids are as proficient in two languages as similar kids are in English only (as in the Maryland case), does it matter how well they test in the 2nd and 3rd grades? It seems to me one could argue the dual-language kids are better off in the long run since they're bilingual. The idea seems to be similar to long term investing.

As an aside, If I found Aladdin's lamp, one of my three wishes would be to be fluent in all languages. Imagine the fun of travelling to any country in the world and being able to interact with its inhabitants as if you were a local.

Dear Board Members,

Remember it is your job to find a middle ground. You chose this position to help and serve the community.

We will be there tonight.

Yes we can, yes we can, yes we can!