Thank you Judge William Wayne Justice, rules Texas ESL has failed

[RB TexLa]

It doesn't go far enough, but it's a start and some lawmakers are working on proposals for bilingual education with all classes taught in Spanish and English.



Revamping bilingual programs in Texas


Judge orders improvements to be made
By Brian Wilkerson
Monday, July 28, 2008 at 5:44 p.m.

Judge William Wayne Justice is hammering down on the Texas Education System when it comes to bilingual programs. His ruling last Friday gives the state of Texas until the end of January to establish better programs to teach bilingual students English. According to the The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, too many of the limited English speaking students in grades seven through ten have failed to meet the state's minimum TAKS standards. Local officials say that it takes two to three years for a student to even develop conversational English. And it takes around five to seven years for those students to develop the academic language they need to do well in school.

"So when the students come to us as secondary students they really don't have the amount of time needed in order to gain those competencies and begin to learn. The fact that they don't learn as fast as other students isn't surprising because they don't know the language," says AISD Student Performance Executive Director Janie Cooper.

Cooper says there is always room for improvement and they will just have to wait and see exactly what the ruling requires from the Texas Education Agency.



http://www.kvii.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=166105

[readmoreoften]

1. Total ESL is completely necessary.

80% of the kids in my neighborhood high school are ESL.

[jobycom]

2. 88 years old, appointed by LBJ. I've shaken that man's hand.

At the Texas Governor's Mansion, no less. Although, to be honest, I didn't know who he was until I shook it. I was there for an employer's birthday party, and was reaching for a snack, and I accidentally reached in front of the judge as he was stepping up to the same table. He saw my hand, grabbed it out of reflex and shook it, smiled at me, then turned back to the table. I read his name tag just before he turned away, almost started gushing un-cooly. This was just after he had ruled that the property tax system of funding public schools was discriminatory, so I was a big fan.

His close friend, Ralph Yarborough, was instrumental in some of the earliest bilingual education legislation. Looks like Justice is carrying that spirit forward.

[TexasObserver]

3. William Wayne Justice has been one of America's most progressive judges.

For the past three plus decades.

He is a giant.

Blais, Lynn E. "William Wayne Justice: The Life of the Law." Texas Law Review 77.1 (Nov. 1998): 1-7.
"Dedication and Tributes. Judge William Wayne Justice." Annual Survey of American Law 1986 (Apr. 1987): vii-xx.
Dubose, Louis. "A Texas ‘Advocate for Justice.'" The Nation 13 Nov. 2000: 20-22.
Elliot, Janet. "Justice Recognized for a Career built on Seminal Cases." Houston Chronicle 4 December 2006.
Gamino, Denise. "High-profile Justice Hitting Trail to Austin." The Austin-American Statesman 25 May 1998: A1.
Hall, Michael. "Justice Is Not Done." Texas Monthly Oct. 2006.
Hood, Lucy. "Educating Immigrant Students." Carnegie Reporter 4.2 (Spring 2007).
Ivins, Molly. "Texas-size Void Left with Exodus of Judge Justice." The Fresno Bee 13 May 1998: B7.
Jackson, Bruce. "Texas Prisons Go On Trial." The Nation 28 Oct. 1978: 437-9.
Kemerer, Frank R. William Wayne Justice: A Judicial Biography. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1991.
Klimko, Frank, and Evan Moore. "'Czar of Texas'/William Wayne Justice Takes Heavy Criticism with Grace." The Houston Chronicle 11 Jan. 1987: 1.
Maraniss, David. "Justice, Texas Style." The Washington Post 28 Feb. 1987: G1.
Martin, Steve J. Texas Prisons: The Walls Came Tumbling Down. Austin: Texas Monthly Press, 1987.
McCracken, Jennifer. "Judge Justice Honored with the First Morris Dees Award." University of Alabama Press Release September 2006.
Mithoff, Richard. "William Wayne Justice: Blessed by the Gifts of This Judicial Giant." The Houston Chronicle 15 Nov. 1998: 1.
Mithoff, Richard Warren. "A Tribute to Justice." Texas Law Review 77.9 (Nov. 1998): 9-12.
Politz, Henry A. "Judge Justice." Texas Law Review 77.13 (Nov. 1998): 13-15.
Vara-Orta, Francisco. "'Activist' Judge Still Battling Injustice." Austin American-Statesman 12 Aug. 2006: 1.
Walt, Kathy. "Judge Justice Left Footprints on Host of Social Reforms." The Houston Chronicle 8 Feb. 1998: 1.
Wars, Mike. "Judge Says Reforms Worked For Awhile." Austin American-Statesman 6 May 2007:A7.
Ward, Mike. "Prisons Lawsuit Drawing to Close." Austin American-Statesman 8 June 2002:1

[SoCalDem]

4. If we truly want people to speak english, we have to be willing to pay for it.

Immersion and REAL english classes are what's needed.. French Canada has the right idea, and their system works.. They actually offer classes FREE...AND they pay people to attend

[RB TexLa]

6. But we have failed in providing citizens with an education, and providing that education in Spanish

is going to be the answer. They have a right to an education, if someone's belief that they have to have it in English prevents that from happening then that has to go. That's what the judge ruled, it has failed and it is time to move on.

[Madam Mossfern]

8. I don't agree

One purpose of public education is to ensure the success of students when the graduate. If classes are only given in Spanish, it is a grave disservice to them. Yes, they may know math and history and biology, but how will they fare in the job market if their English is poor or non-existent?

[Madam Mossfern]

5. I wonder if they've tried

total language immersion? Many of these students go home to neighborhoods and households where English is not spoken, so there's little reinforcement of language skills that they've learned in school. I know it sounds radical, but I'm a radical thinking kinda person.

I think the entire family needs ESL programs, not just the kids.

on edit: Seems that someone types faster than I do. I see immersion was just mentioned. I guess there are more brilliant radical people on this forum than just me. ;)

[Iggo]

7. Yikes!

For a minute there I thought you were going to say we needed to remove them from their homes!

Phew! Heart attack avaerted.

:rofl: