Author Archives: Don Soifer
Washington, D.C. Teachers Find Way to Like Merit Pay Issue BriefIn what may prove to be an important development for public schools in the nation’s capital, members of the Washington Teachers’ Union approved a new contract this month that would tie improvements in student performance to bonuses for [Read More...]
English Learners: How Many Still Left Behind? Op Ed published in La Tribune Hispana (New York/New Jersey)For English language learners, perhaps more than any other segment of American public education, The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) fundamentally changed how schools conduct the business of their [Read More...]
New Federal Tuition Tax Credit Plans Crowd the Starting Gate Issue BriefTuition tax credits continue to be among the nation’s most popular vehicles to extend parental choice in education to families that otherwise couldn’t afford it. Now two new Congressional proposals introduced in the past month seek to give [Read More...]
English Learners: How Many Still Left Behind? Issue BriefFor English language learners, perhaps more than any other segment of American public education, The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) fundamentally changed how schools conduct the business of their education. The law, for the first time, required [Read More...]
Latest Test Scores More Good News for California’s English Learners Issue BriefThe latest test scores for California’s English learners show them continuing to progress as schools have refocused on early English fluency.
Opponents of Proposition 227 had said the measure, which California voters passed in 1998, would spell disaster. [Read More...]
Structured English Immersion: Experiences and Trends Policy Briefing to the Texas State Board of EducationCalifornia’s Immersion Experience
Proposition 227 passed in 1998.Immersion programs “not normally intended to exceed one year.”
Implementation has been uneven by nearly all accounts.
Steady, strong gains in English proficiency [Read More...]
Done Right, Structured Immersion Works Op Ed published in The East Valley Tribune (Mesa, AZ)As 19th century New York merchants and politicians grew impatient to begin the epic construction that would become the Brooklyn Bridge, builder John Augustus Roebling understood that it was the [Read More...]
No Child Left Behind helps English learners Op EdWith 11 California school districts currently suing state authorities over the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the 2001 legislation has become a lightning rod in the debate over how to improve public education. The act sets bold [Read More...]
Rejecting No Child Left Behind Would Hurt New Jersey Schoolchildren Issue BriefAn education plan soon to be considered by the New Jersey State Senate might look at first glance like a reasonable compromise over new federal testing requirements. The plan, swathed in constructive-sounding buzzwords, directs state education officials to [Read More...]
As State Changes, We Need Better Bilingual Education Article published in The Milwaukee (WI) Journal-SentinelLast week, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that Wisconsin’s Hispanic population has surged by an astounding 23% over the past four years. Meanwhile, the English learner population has doubled in the past decade. [Read More...]