Thread: Scary Statistic

I had cause to be reading the recent updates & changes to the federal IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and came across some interesting (some scary) staistics worth mentioning to you folks which may or may not already exist in the numerous posts here.
Did you know that 1 in every 3 "Americans" is of an ethnic minority or limited English proficient? The committee charged with updating IDEA also deleted from the existing text the statistic that between the years 1980 and 1990, the rate of increase in the population for white Americans was 6%, while the rate of increase for Hispanics was 53% (!). I wonder how much of the rate of increase can be attributed to illegal immigrants? I do not believe the census takers ever ask particpants about their legal status.
The updates to IDEA go on to state that the "limited English proficient" population is the fastest growing segment of the population. They went on to further recommend that educational agencies do more to train and hire minority teachers to help service the increasing numbers of minority students. The implications here should be obvious; I guess good old American teachers aren't sufficient enough to educate these minorities? Looks like the next field that's going to give special consideration in hiring to these minorty groups is the teaching profession. It's a common complaint already that teachers don't get paid enough as it is....wonder what will happen to their salaries after this employment sea-change takes place?

It's a common complaint already that teachers don't get paid enough as it is....wonder what will happen to their salaries after this employment sea-change takes place?

That is a very good question, but don't expect any answers from our federal government, because they are oblivous to everything regarding the issue of illegal immigration. Actually, they aren't, but they like to pretend they are - they wouldn't want to give the appearance of supporting the wrong side, especially with elections right around the corner.

Originally Posted by MW

It's a common complaint already that teachers don't get paid enough as it is....wonder what will happen to their salaries after this employment sea-change takes place?

That is a very good question, but don't expect any answers from our federal government, because they are oblivous to everything regarding the issue of illegal immigration. Actually, they aren't, but they like to pretend they are - they wouldn't want to give the appearance of supporting the wrong side, especially with elections right around the corner.

...and if teacher salaries suffer because of this....guess who is going to be teaching your children? Take another guess about the implications across the board there for the future of our schools and educational system. We already rank abysmally when compared academically to most other developed countries...and yet our government keeps passing these educational proclamations and goals (2000-that failed) aimed at making America number one in math and science...blah blah blah. Little hard to be number one at anything when you can't even communicate effectively.

I predict the same thing will happen to future teachers as supposedly is happening (at least in California) regarding dental assistants. I read, someplace, several months ago, that they are going to reduce the training requirements of dental assistants--because of a supposed shortage.

There is a teacher shortage because the pay is insufficient (unless you believe what Ann Coulter wrote in Godless). One could argue that the pay is sufficient--considering the work is for only 9 months, but one could argue that the cost of a university education is too high to incur the debt to be a teacher. Probably, there will be "vocational colleges" (which advertise all day long on tv) as I've noticed since I retired. I suspect our future teachers will be even less qualified and will probably be second generation imports. The current infiltration of schools by second generationists seems to breed teachers who are often doing the reverse discrimation I hear about, as well as "rewriting history" (you stole this land from us). The only safety valve left is town by town--ordinance by ordinance.

Originally Posted by ForFutureGens2

I had cause to be reading the recent updates & changes to the federal IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and came across some interesting (some scary) staistics worth mentioning to you folks which may or may not already exist in the numerous posts here.
Did you know that 1 in every 3 "Americans" is of an ethnic minority or limited English proficient? The committee charged with updating IDEA also deleted from the existing text the statistic that between the years 1980 and 1990, the rate of increase in the population for white Americans was 6%, while the rate of increase for Hispanics was 53% (!). I wonder how much of the rate of increase can be attributed to illegal immigrants? I do not believe the census takers ever ask particpants about their legal status.
The updates to IDEA go on to state that the "limited English proficient" population is the fastest growing segment of the population. They went on to further recommend that educational agencies do more to train and hire minority teachers to help service the increasing numbers of minority students. The implications here should be obvious; I guess good old American teachers aren't sufficient enough to educate these minorities? Looks like the next field that's going to give special consideration in hiring to these minorty groups is the teaching profession. It's a common complaint already that teachers don't get paid enough as it is....wonder what will happen to their salaries after this employment sea-change takes place?

Could you provide links?

Personally, I don't know if the pay is actually insufficient but that inflation is rampant for reasons unknown but that is a moot point. In El Paso County, TX there are many teachers who are anchor babies now teaching school. In many cases, it is very obvious that these teachers aren't up to par with the rest of the teachers-- the older, tenured teachers who are retiring early in droves because they can't tolerate the abuse dished out to them by the spanish speaking newer teachers, many of whom have a chip on their shoulder.

socalcracker, I don't know if they have reduced the standards for teachers in my state or if they haven't but it sure appears that way.

I think it is time to go back to teaching the very basics in grade school-- IN ENGLISH-- and let the kids go back to learning more about the things that interest them when they find out what those things are. Filling their heads with more information than they can possibly absorb, can't be doing any of them any good. I can see why so many kids drop out, why so many kids go bonkers and why so many people in their twenties seem like they came from some other planet.

While I am acutely aware that the history I learned while I was in school all those years ago was more propaganda than anything else, I resent that these teachers you mention who rewrite history and who teach things that they just assume are true. I'd like to see states take back over the responsibility for educating our children. Maybe they wouldn't all get the same quality of education because some states aren't as affluent, but they would surely not be any worse off than they are today with clowns running the school board meetings in Spanish!

Originally Posted by marineinspector

Could you provide links?

Oh sorry, it was not an online document but the actual (HUGE) paper document itself. It was only very recently revised and the new version gone to print in August of this year. The changes effect family members so I was obligated to read it.