Opinion: In today’s pages: Nukes go flying, NASCAR gets groupies
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Superintendent David Brewer, school board president Monica Garcia, and board member Yolie Flores Aguilar say that No Child Left Behind leaves English learners behind:
In L.A. Unified, 297 out of 1,000 schools were judged to be not making adequate yearly progress in 2006, and the district as a whole did not make adequate yearly progress because, among other reasons, [English learner] students were challenged to meet achievement targets that are unfair and unrealistic.Students who don’t speak English as a first language need three to five years to become fluent. Achieving the fluency to understand subject-matter tests may take several more years. But No Child Left Behind requires that EL students be tested in English or in their native language to ‘the extent practicable.’ Congress and the Department of Education do not define what’s ‘practicable,’ and many states, including California, have dropped the ball on developing reliable assessments of EL students’ academic achievement.
Columnist Joel Stein observes ‘pit lizards’ -- female Nascar groupies -- in their natural habitat. Columnist Rosa Brooks notes that although the Bush administration was once a bastion of loyalty, now it’s the subject of many tell-all books. And Seed magazine’s Chris Mooney explores the link between hurricanes and global warming.
The editorial board says it’s time to revisit nuclear disarmament after six nuclear bombs were accidentally flown around the Midwest. The board also supports the Senate’s modest healthcare plan for poor kids, and asks if party infighting is blocking good bills in Sacramento.
Readers react to Bruce Bawer’s thoughts on the ‘peace racket.’ Valencia’s Phil Rizzo tells Bawer and his ilk not to fear the peace movement: ‘We are serious. We are not violent. We do not play our role like warmongers do.’