May 11, 2013

Arizona State School Board To Wade into English-immersion Program Fight

From http://cronkitenewsonline.com/2013/05/state-school-board-to-wade-into-english-immersion-program-fight

State school board to wade into English-immersion program fight
By Connor Radnovich
May 3, 2013

Vince Yanez understands what the Arizona Board of Education could be getting in to this year when it begins a “systematic review” of the state’s English Language Learner program.

“Since the models had been created, there have been very strong opinions on both sides,” said Yanez, the board’s executive director.

“The models” he is referring to are Structured English Immersion, a state-mandated program that puts non-English-speaking students into English class for four hours a day.

“The opinions” include supporters who say the program quickly moves students into mainstream classes and critics who say it does not. The critics say that segregating children into language-only classes denies those students hours of class time in other subjects every day.

Arizona is the only state that mandates a four-hour block of English for all non-English-speaking students, regardless of their age or proficiency.

Read the full article at http://cronkitenewsonline.com/2013/05/state-school-board-to-wade-into-english-immersion-program-fight

Meanwhile, here is a recent feature on a Spanish immersion program in Arizona: http://www.wftv.com/news/ap/education/s-ariz-grade-school-offers-spanish-immersion/nXgqG

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