In Phoenix, Arizona there is a school district that was way behind the eight ball in getting kids to read.  So, they partnered with the newspaper and received many grants to help bring students up to grade level by 3rd grade.  They failed.  Why?  They had hundreds of thousands of dollars, many many voluteer tutors and loads of help. So what happened?

They failed because a huge majority of their students came to school unprepared for learning.  Many did not speak English.  Many had never seen a book or printed word except on TV.  Most only watched Spanish TV and didn't get any English at home.  These students not only had to learn a totally new language that no one at home could help them with, but they were required by the federal government to do it in one little year.

This is not the only challenge.  These kids come from a migrant population.  They move around.  Often they move more than once a year.  Many are not here legally and have to keep ahead of the border patrol.  I had a student who missed 3 weeks of school because they had to run out the back door when border patrol came in the front.  They were caught and sent back to Mexico.  It took them 3 weeks to get the kids back and in school.  Absents do not make it easier on the kids.

I have been teaching students like these, without the extra money or help, for 20 years.  I know the challenge of a 5th grader coming into a school with only one language (not English) and many had never even been to school before.  We were not allowed to put them into special language classes until they learned English.  They were put into regular classrooms for their age and expected to make do.

I know it can be done.  However, I also know that it takes children 5-7 years to really learn a new language.  Just because they pick up words on the playground fast does not mean they understand educational language.  When is the federal government going to wake up and understand that education cannot be played around with like this.  These children need time and attention to learn to be a functioning part of society.

I don't care about the illegal part.  Many of these children are legal they just don't get English at home.  No Child Left Behind needs to be changed or gotten rid of.  It just doesn't make sense.