May 6, 2010: English proficiency and teaching standards

>> Rooney: TONIGHT ON

GREATER BOSTON, TESTING THE

ENGLISH FLUENCY OF TEACHERS.

SHOULD FAILING BE A FIREABLE

OFFENSE.

PLUS FAILING GRADES, WHY

SOME SCHOOLS ARE CHRONIC

UNDERPERFORMERS.

AND CENTER STAGE WITH JARED

BOWEN AND ESTELLE PARSONS,

THE STAR OF OSAGE COUNTY

 

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>> Rooney: GOOD EVENING N

2002 MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS

APPROVED A BALLOT QUESTION,

REQUIRING ENGLISH IMMERSION

IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND

ENGLISH PROPHECY TESTS FOR

TEACHERS.

TEACHER WHS FAILED THE TESTS

WERE FIRED.

AND AT LEAST ONE BELIEVES

SHE WAS UNFAIRLY TARGETED.

THIS WEEK THE STATE'S

HIGHEST COURT AGREED WITH AN

ARBITER'S DECISION THAT A

LOWELL TEACHER FIRED FOR

LACK OF ENGLISH PROFICIENCY

SHOULD BE REINSTATED.

WHEN MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS

REQUIRED ENGLISH FLUENCY

TESTS FOR TEACHERS IN 2002,

DOZENS OF CAMBODIAN AMERICAN

TEACHERS IN LOWELL CAME TO

COMMUNITY ADVOCATE VONG WA

FOR HELP.

 

>> THEY SAID THEY WERE

REQUIRED TO TAKE THE TEST

AND THEY WERE AFRAID THAT

THIS TEST WAS SET UP FOR

THEM TO GET FIRED.

AND A LOT OF THEM WERE

SCARED.

 

>> Rooney: HE SAYS FOR MANY

THE POST 9/11 ANTI-IMMIGRANT

SENTIMENT AT THE TIME WAS A

PAINFUL REMIND-- REMINDER OF

OPPRESSION IN CAMBODIA AND

THE KHMER ROUGE.

SOME FAILED THE TEST AND

WERE FIRED, OTHERS QUIT

WITHOUT WITHOUT TAKING IT.

 

>> ANYTHING THAT THE

GOVERNMENT OR OFFICIALS

REQUEST THEM TO DO SOMETHING,

THAT MEANS, YOU KNOW, YOU

CAN'T FIGHT IT.

 

>> Rooney: BUT A FEW DID

FIGHT.

FIRST GRADE TEACHER PHANNA

KEM ROBISHAW BLAMED HER

FAILED TEST ON POST

TRAUMATIC STRESS ON HER DAYS

IN CAME YOD-- CAMBODIA.

AND THIS WEEK THE STATE

SUPREME COURT UPHELD A ORDER

TO REINSTATE HER.

AT HER SCHOOL REACTION TO

THE NEWS IS MIXED.

 

>> THE NEEDS-- KIDS NEED TO

UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE

SAYING.

I HAVE HAD MY DAUGHTER COME

HOME AND SAID I DON'T HE

UNDER UNDERSTAND WHAT HE SHE

SAID.

 

>> I WANT PIE KID --

 

>> WITH—i HAVE A LOT OF KID

HERE'S WHO COME FROM OTHER

COUNTRIES AND WE NEED

TEACHERS THAT CAN TEACH

THEM.

 

>> Rooney: SCHOOL OFFICIALS

IN LOWELL DECLINED TO TALK

ON CAMERA—i BUT SAID—i THEY

STILL BELIEVE ROB I

SAW-- ROBISHAW WAS PROPERLY

FIRED BUT HE DISAGREES.

 

>> SHE SPEAKS ENGLISH NINE

TO ME AND SHE'S VERY

INTELLIGENT.

 

>> Rooney: BEING A ROLE

MODEL, HE SAYS, TAKES MORE

THAN JUST CLEAR DICTION.

 

>> SHE IS VERY STRONG.

SHE SURVIVED KHMER ROUGE AND

SHE SAVED HER FAMILY AND

AGAIN, THESE ARE LEADERS,

WHERE I LOOKED UP TO.

AND I WISH THAT, YOU KNOW,

SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO

THROUGH THESE KIND OF

SITUATION.

 

>> Rooney: A SITUATION THAT

AFTER EIGHT YEARS MAY

FINALLY BE RESOLVED.

JOINING ME NOW IS SRINIVAS

RAMINENI AND ROSALIE PORTERÒr

AN ADVOCATE FOR ENGLISH

LANGUAGE IN SCHOOLS.

WELCOME TO YOU.

SO TELL ME ABOUT

GsÌ ROBISHAW'S ACCENT, IS IT

AN ACCENT THAT IS THE

PROBLEM OR IS IT ACTUALITY

ENGLISH THAT IS THE PROBLEM?

 

>> I WOULD SAY IT WOULD BE

THE ACCENT, IF AT ALL THERE

IS A PROBLEM.

BUT I FEARNLEY NEVER HAD ANY

DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING HER,

NEITHER DID THE ARBITRATOR

WHERE SHE TESTIFIED.

 

>> THE TEST THAT SHE WAS

GIVEN, WAS IT BOTH ORAL AND

WRITTEN?

 

>> IT WAS MAINLY ORAL.

 

>> Rooney: OH, SO IT COULD

HAVE BEEN AN ACCENT THAT WAS

THE PROBLEM.

 

>> YES.

 

>> Rooney: ROSSIE—i, A LOT OF

THESE KIDS, A LOT OF THEM

ARE CAMBODIAN, PARENTS WANT

THEM TO LEARN, KHMER, THEY

ARE NOT TEACHING BUT THAT IS

THE ACCENT, THEY ARE

COMFORTABLE WITH IT.

THIS SOUNDS LIKE A CASE

WHERE PROBABLY THEY THE

OVERTURNING OF THE SITUATION

WAS CORRECT, DO YOU AGREE?

 

>> IT IS HARD FOR ME NOT

HAVING EVER TALKED TO THE

TEACHER.

 

>> Rooney: SHE DOESN'T WANT

TO TALK TO YOU.

 

>> I WISH I COULD.

BECAUSE I HAVE TESTED A LOT

OF PEOPLE.

I WOULD SAY IT IS ABSOLUTELY

IMPORTANT FOR CHILDREN

LEARNING ENGLISH TO BE

TAUGHT BY A TEACHER WHO HAS

THE BEST ENGLISH LANGUAGE

SKILLS.

A LITTLE ACCENT IS NOT A

PROBLEM.

BUT IF THE ACCENT IS SO DEEP

AND SO STRONG THAT IT'S HARD

TO UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE IS

SAYING, THAN IT IS A PROBLEM.

CHILDREN WERE TAUGHT IN THE

NATIVE LANGUAGE IN THIS

STATE FOR 25, 30 YEARS UNTIL

THE LAW CHANGED.

NOW THE EMPHASIS IS ON

TEACHING ENGLISH QUICKLY SO

THE CHILDREN ARE MORE

QUICKLY INTO THE MAINSTREAM

AND THAT'S WHAT THEY NEED

NOW.

THERE ARE A LOT OF

COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE NATIVE

LANGUAGE SUPPORT AFTER

SCHOOL, THE SATURDAY SCHOOLS

IN CHINESE, THE AFTER SCHOOL

PROGRAM IN ITALIAN HERE AND

THERE.

THAT'S FINE.

EVERY COMMUNITY IF THE

CAMBODIAN COMMUNITY FEELS

STRONGLY, THEY SHOULD HAVE

THEIR OWN LANGUAGE.

THAT'S FINE.

BUT IN SCHOOL, THE TEACHERS

ABILITY TO USE THE LANGUAGE

CLEARLY AND TO WRITE IT WITH

GOOD GRAMA-- GRAMMAR IF ARE

YOU TEACHING KINDERGARTEN,

FIRST, SECOND GRADE KIDS TO

READ, YOU HAVE TO KNOW THE

LANGUAGE YOURSELF.

 

>> Rooney: TELL ME A LITTLE

BIT OF THE HISTORY OF

PHANNA.

BECAUSE SHE WAS IN THE

SCHOOL WHEN THIS ENGLISH

IMMERSION BILL-PASSED.

BUT THEN SHE WAS ACTUALLY ON

LEAVE AS I UNDERSTAND IT

WHEN SHE TOOK THE TEST.

SHE SAID SHE HAD POST

TRAUMATIC STRESS SYNDROME AS

A RESULT OF HAVING BEEN IN

CAMBODIA DURING THE POL POT

REGIME THAT WAS QUITE A LONG

TIME AGO.

 

>> WELL, IT WAS QUITE A LONG

TIME AGO FOR US.

BUT NOT FOR SOMEBODY IN

PHANNA'S SHOES.

SHE WAS IN-- SHE WAS A

KINDERGARTEN TEACHER BACK IN

CAMBODIA AS WELL WHEN HER

VILLAGE WAS TAKEN OVER BY

KHMER ROUGE.

HER FAMILY WAS ROUNDED UP.

HER PARENTS.

SHE, HER PARENTS WERE

KILLED.

HER BROTHER, HER—iu

HER SISTERS WERE KILLED,

FRIENDS.

A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN

KILLED.

AND SHE WAS SUBJECTED TO

TORTURE.

AND IN 2002 WHEN QUESTION 2

PASSED, PRIOR TO PASSING OF

QUESTION 2 THERE WAS A

CHANGE IN THE PRINCIPAL OF

GREEN HOLD AM SCHOOL.

AND IMMEDIATE-- AT THE TIME

THE NEW PRINCIPAL CAME IN

THERE WERE FIVE CAMBODIAN

TEACHERS.

BY THE TIME QUESTION 2

PASSED, THERE WERE NO

CAMBODIAN TEACHERS IN THAT

SCHOOL.

DURING OCTOBER 2002

EVALUATION PROCESS WAS

STARTED AND PHANNA FELT SHE

WAS TO THE BEING TREATED

PROPERLY AND IT JUST BROUGHT

FLASHBACKS TO HER PAST

MEMORIES.

IT WAS NOT THE TEST ITSELF

THAT CAUSED HER TO RELAPSE.

BUT IT WAS THE TREATMENT SHE

RECEIVED.

 

>> Rooney: WELL.

 

>> YOU KNOW I FEEL THE

GREATEST COMPASSION FOR THIS

WOMAN THAT WENT THROUGH THE

HORRORS SHE DID, ANYBODY

WOULD.

THE PROBLEM WITH BILINGUAL

TEACHING WHEN I CAME INTO

THE FIELD AND I WAS A

BILINGUAL TEACHER.

I HAD TO TAKE A TEST IN

SPANISH AND ENGLISH.

ORAL AND WRITTEN.

THEN THEY SORT OF DROPPED

THAT KIND OF THING AND THEY

WERE HIRING TEACHERS WHO DID

NOT HAVE MUCH ENGLISH.

BUT I THINK IT WAS ALWAYS

COMMUNICATED TO THE TEACHER,

OKAY, ARE YOU GOING TO BE

TEACHING IN KHMER BUT YOU

ALSO SHOULD BE PREPARED TO

BE TEACHING IN ENGLISH, YOU

KNOW, YOU ARE A BILINGUAL

TEACHER, THAT MEANS TWO

LANGUAGES.

SOME TEACHERS DIDN'T DO VERY

MUCH TO ADVANCE THEIR

ENGLISH.

I AM NOT SAYING THAT THIS IS

THE CASE WITH THIS PERSON.

 

>> WELL, IT IS NOT THE CASE,

I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT.

 

>> NO, THAT'S OKAY.

 

>> UNTIL 2000, SHE WAS A

BILINGUAL TEACHER BUT

STARTING IN 2000 SHE BECAME

A MAINSTREAM TEACHER.

SHE HAD THE LICENSES.

STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS GAVE

HER THE LICENSES TO TEACH

FIRST GRADERS.

SHE HAS A-- SHE WENT THROUGH

THE WHOLE SCHOOLING SYSTEM

AGAIN IN THE UNITED STATES

AFTER IMMIGRATING OR AFTER

FLEEING CAMBODIA.

SHE GOT HER HIGH SCHOOL

DIPLOMA.

SHE HAS A BACHELOR'S DEGREE.

SHE HAS A MASTERS DEGREE

FROM UMASS.

SHE HAS 64 CREDITS BEYOND

HER MASTER'S DEGREE.

SHE HAS HER LICENSES.

SHE'S BEEN THROUGH INTERVIEW

PROCESSES BEFORE SHE WAS

SELECTED.

I MEAN-- .

 

>> Rooney: THIS DOES SOUND

LIKE A CASE, ROSS ALI, WHERE

SPECIFICALLY THE CAMBODIA

TEACHERS WERE BEING TARGETED

AND THAT IS WHAT THEY

CLAIMED.

SUPREME STATE SUPREME

JUDICIAL COURT SEEMED TO

AGREE.

 

>> WELL, ACTUALLY, THERE

WERE A DOZEN OR SO TEACHERS

IN LAWRENCE, AND LYNN THERE

WERE OTHER-- WHO WERE

SPANISH BILINGUAL TEACHER

WHO COULD NOT PASS THE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEST AND

THEY MR. LET GO.

I'M GOING TO ASSUME THAT

THEY WERE GIVEN SOME TIME.

I WOULD THINK A SCHOOL

DISTRICT WOULD SAY YOU

DIDN'T DO WELL ON THE TEST.

BUT LET'S GIVE IT ANOTHER

YEAR, LET'S GIVE IT TWO

YEARS, WORK AT IMPROVING

YOUR ENGLISH SKILLS.

TAKE SOME COURSES, YOU KNOW.

 

>> Rooney: BUT THEY FIRED

THEM RIGHT AWAY.

 

>> I DON'T KNOW IF THEY WERE

FIRED RIGHT AWAY.

 

>> Rooney: WELL --

 

>> THAT IS NOTÁÛ ACCURATE,

ACTUALLY.

THEY WERE REHIRED, ALL THE

SPANISH --

 

>> IN LOWELL.

 

>> NO IN LOWELL.—7

 

>> IN OTHER TOWNS.

 

>> IN OTHER TOWNS, ONLY

LOWELL ENDED UP FIRING ALL

THE CAMBODIAN TEACHERS.

 

>> AND WHAT ABOUT

SPANISH-SPEAKING TEACHERS.

DID NONE OF THEM NOT PASS

THE ENGLISH TEST.

 

>> AT THIS POINT IN TIME I

DO NOT HAVE THAT

INFORMATION.

 

>> I'VE NOT COME ACROSS IT

EITHER SO I DON'T KNOW.

 

>> Rooney: YOU ARE SAYING

THEY WERE SPECIFICALLY

TARGETING THE CAMBODIANS.

 

>> IT APPEARS THAT THAT WAS

THE PLAN.

 

>> Rooney: THE PLAN, YEAH.

 

>> WELL.

 

>> Rooney: ARE YOU

SKEPTICAL.

 

>> I WOULD BE SKEPTICAL ONLY

BECAUSE THE CAMBODIAN

PROGRAM AND THE SPANISH

PROGRAM HAVE BEEN IN LOWELL

FOR SO MANY YEARS.

AND I NEVER HEARD A CONCERN

ABOUT BIAS.

NOT THAT THERE IS NOT BIAS

IN THE COUNTRY, BUT THAT IN

THAT SCHOOL SYSTEM,

PRINCIPALS DIDN'T WANT THE

PROGRAM OR DIDN'T WANT THE

TEACHERS.

I DON'T KNOW THAT.

 

>> Rooney: THERE IS A HAPPY

ENDING FOR YOUR CLIENT SHERX

GOING TO GET RETROACTIVE PAY

TO 2005, WHAT IS THAT GOING

IT TO COME TO, DO YOU KNOW?

 

>> HAVEN'T DONE THE MATH.

 

>> Rooney: ALL RIGHT,

ROSALIE PORTER, AND SRINIVAS

RAMINENI, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

WHEN WE CONTINUE WHY SOME

SCHOOLS CONSISTENTLY GET

FAILING GRADES.