Advierten cambios a ley educación deben atender necesidades alumnos latinos

Mary González Nieves, La Raza

Washington- Educadores y organizaciones de derechos civiles advierten de que los cambios propuestos a la ley de educación federal "Que Ningún Niño Quede Atrás" (NCLB en inglés) deben atender las necesidades de los estudiantes latinos.

"Es imperativo que NCLB le sirva a la comunidad Latina (...) sólo así la educación tendrá un impacto positivo en esta nación", subrayó Peter Zamora, asesor regional del Fondo México Americano de Defensa Legal (MALDEF).

Zamora, quien criticó la pobre implementación de la ley federal, enfatizó que el 20 por ciento del total de la población estudiantil en las escuelas elementales y secundarias "es latina".

Además, reiteró, "estos estudiantes afrontan grandes desigualdades en nuestras escuelas públicas".

"El éxito en las áreas de lenguaje y educación serán claves para que los niños latinos logren superarse y capacitarse para contribuir al futuro de esta nación", señaló recientemente Zamora ante el Congreso.Mas

Poor results on MCAS science test

Failure Rate at Urban High Schools raises warning flag across state.
By Tracy Jan, Boston Globe, Oct. 16

More than a quarter of Massachusetts high school students who took the MCAS science exam last spring flunked, with dozens of urban high schools across the state registering a failure rate of 50 percent or higher in the first comprehensive test of students' competency in different scientific subjects.

The results, released yesterday by the Massachusetts Department of Education, raise a warning flag for a state that has staked its future on the life sciences and high-tech industries. Business leaders, higher education officials, and the governor have highlighted the importance of the sciences to preserving economic vitality in Massachusetts. Read more

Tutor Amigos provides free tutoring for the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence

This week Tutor Amigos started providing free online tutoring in Math for Spanish-speaking students at the Boys and Girls club of Lawrence, MA. We are very excited to be working with the Boys & Girls club after school program in Lawrence and look forward to helping students with their homework so that they might improve their math skills and gain confidence with Math.

Great new look, same great service

Tutor Amigos is very happy to announce the launch of our new website and a new offer of a 60 minute trial session for only $5.00. We look forward to connecting more students with extra help in Math and Science, in the language they need it to be in.

ABC News Person of the Week: Danica McKellar

'Wonder Years' Actress Takes a Break From Hollywood to Do Some Math

So she decided to write the book "Math Doesn't Suck" to change that perception.

..."In reaching the middle school girl's audience I wanted to keep in mind what are girls thinking about at that age? … Boys, makeup, jewelry, fashion, who am I? I took every quiz in every teen magazine known to man because you think you're going to get the answer to 'Who am I?'" she explained. "I thought, let me do it in that context, why not? Why not teach math in the context of being a girl?" Read more

For more information about Danica's book go to www.mathdoesntsuck.com

Consider your options when hiring a tutor for your child

By Daniel Vasquez | Consumer Columnist, Sun-Sentinel.com
August 12, 2007

Will you be one of those parents scrambling last-minute to get your child's back-to-school shopping done? Here's something you might want to shove into the ol' backpack: Tips on how to find a good tutor.

If you're like me, you probably think a tutor costs way too much. But with so much competition, you might be surprised at how affordable and cost-effective hiring a tutor can be. There are options. Read more

“Strengthening the Academic Pipeline Leading to Careers in Math, Science and Technology for Latino Students"

Patricia Gándara, Professor of Education at
the University of California, Davis writes;
"Access to a rigorous curriculum continues to
be a critical issue for Latino and other minority
students. Gándara cited evidence that Latino
and other underrepresented students are more
likely to be assigned to low curriculum tracks
independent of their test scores than are White
students. This is especially true in the case of
mathematics courses, where algebra continues to
be the major gatekeeper for entry into the college
preparatory track. Certainly Latino students will
not go on to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering Mathematics)
careers if they do not have rigorous preparation in math;
but without such preparation they are not likely to go on to college at all.
Thus, while school reform aimed at offering
greater academic opportunities to Latino students
must form part of the solution to the leaks in
the pipeline to college and STEM careers, it will
not be enough to close the considerable gaps in
opportunity and outcomes for these students."