By Charis Anderson, Staff Writer for The Standard Times
canderson@s-t.com
Relevant Quotes: (Please follow the link above to read the complete article.)
"As parents, we will not accept the current level of education for our children," said Tammy Rivet, a parent leader with the United Interfaith Action, an organization that has spearheaded the push for innovation schools.
"The fact is we already have 'haves' and 'have nots' in New Bedford," said Marsha Onufrak, a leader in the UIA, pointing to wide variations in class size from school to school, to the differing school sizes, to the discrepancy in available resources from one school to another.
Sandra Cunha, a teacher in the English-language-learner program at New Bedford High, pointed to MCAS and graduation rate statistics, which show ELL and former ELL students struggling at much greater rates than the district as a whole.
The proposed Esperanza School — which would be a two-day [sic], dual-language immersion program where students, both English and non-English speakers, would be taught half in Spanish and half in English — could help those students, said Cunha, who is on that school's design team.
This isn't about providing flippers and goggles to a small group of students, said Cunha, seizing on imagery used previously by an opponent of the schools; rather, she said, it is about providing lifeguards and life jackets to the students in the pool who are drowning.
CORRECTIONS:
- The Innovation Plan proposes a two-way dual language immersion program at Esperanza School.
- Sandra Cunha is on the Esperanza School Planning Committee.
