VOA标准英语2010年-Federal Education Officials Probe Los

The US Department of Education has announced an investigation¹ into the teaching of English-language learners in Los Angeles public schools.  These students, who are immigrants or the children of immigrants, make up one-third of the LA school population.  The investigation is the first of a number of civil rights actions planned for local school systems around the United States.

Just days ago US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan went to Selma, Alabama, to announce that his department would step up enforcement of federal civil rights laws to ensure that students of all backgrounds have equal access to a good education.  The location of the announcement, in the Southern city of Selma, was symbolic².  It was the site of a clash between police and civil rights activists³ in March, 1965, when hundreds of marchers were beaten by police.

Wednesday, Duncan's assistant secretary for civil rights, Russlynn Ali, launched the first of a series of actions in Los Angeles as she announced a probe into the treatment of English language learners in the city's public schools.

She says the investigation of the Los Angeles Unified⁴ School District will reveal reasons for their low academic performance.

"We know that LA Unified's English-learner high school students have the lowest levels of achievement across the board," said Russlynn Ali. "Right now, only three percent of them are proficient⁵ in math and English."

One third of the students in Los Angeles public schools are placed in special classes for English language learners. The approaches differ from school to school.   Bilingual education was banned in California in 1998 under a voter-sponsored measure called Proposition 227, and many classes for English learners require English language immersion⁶.  But schools can be given waivers and they use a variety of methods, including dual-language programs. 

Critics complain that academic standards are uneven⁷ for English learners in the core subjects such as as mathematics and science. 

Los Angeles school superintendent⁸ Ramon Cortines, who appeared at a news conference with Ali, said he welcomes the probe and looks forward to identifying what he calls best practices for teaching English learners.  He says some of the city's schools do well with students who are not proficient in English.

"But I also believe, because I know, the data says, we are not consistent across the district and there are many children and young people falling through the cracks," said Ramon Cortines.

Los Angeles has the second largest school system in the United States, after New York.  It has more than 220,000 students in special classes for non-English speakers.  Harry⁹ Pachon, a professor of public policy at the University of Southern California, says many students in those classes were born in the United States, but speak a language other than English at home.

"They speak Spanish, speak Mandarin¹⁰, speak Cantonese, speak Thai, Korean, there's a whole United Nations of languages in LA Unified School District," said Harry Pachon.

School officials say 90 languages are spoken in LA schools.

Pachon co-authored a study that showed that 30 percent of one large group of English-learners were kept in special classes from the third through 8th grades.  He says that is far too long.    He notes that federal officials will look into such questions as the criteria¹¹ for evaluating proficiency¹² in English.

"What is a proficiency level?  Is it 50 percent of English?  Is it 40 percent of English?  Is it 60 percent of English?  And when do you reclassify the student?," he asked.

Education official Ali says the probe will also look at how teachers are trained and evaluated, how data is collected and whether school officials communicate with parents in a language that the parents can understand.

Thomas Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense¹³ and Educational Fund, welcomes the federal investigation.  He sees a lack of attention to the core academic subjects in some English-learner classes, and says it is a problem not just in Los Angeles.

"There is a problem nationwide with the teaching of English learners," said Thomas Saenz. "It is a major element of the achievement gap that we as a country must address in order to have our education system succeed."

LA school superintendent Ramon Cortines says the achievement gap between English-learners and English-proficient students leaves a large group of youngsters ill prepared for college or careers.  Education Department official Russlynn Ali says this hurts the country as a whole.

"Our sense of urgency couldn't be greater," she said. "What's happening in Los Angeles and across the country is economically unsustainable for us as a nation."

Federal officials say they will work with local schools to ensure that all students get a good education, regardless of their race or gender¹⁴, disability or national origin.  The  officials promise civil rights reviews in more than 30 school districts around the United States. 
 

1 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

2 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

5 proficient   

adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家

参考例句：

• She is proficient at swimming.她精通游泳。
• I think I'm quite proficient in both written and spoken English.我认为我在英语读写方面相当熟练。

6 immersion   

n.沉浸；专心

参考例句：

• The dirt on the bottom of the bath didn't encourage total immersion.浴缸底有污垢，不宜全身浸泡于其中。
• The wood had become swollen from prolonged immersion.因长时间浸泡，木头发胀了。

7 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

8 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

9 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

10 Mandarin   

n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的

参考例句：

• Just over one billion people speak Mandarin as their native tongue.大约有十亿以上的人口以华语为母语。
• Mandarin will be the new official language of the European Union.普通话会变成欧盟新的官方语言。

11 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

12 proficiency   

n.精通，熟练，精练

参考例句：

• He plied his trade and gained proficiency in it.他勤习手艺，技术渐渐达到了十分娴熟的地步。
• How do you think of your proficiency in written and spoken English?你认为你的书面英语和口语熟练程度如何？

13 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

14 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。