Denver schools adopt 'language justice' policy with goal to support native languages
The Denver school district has made some controversial changes in their policies that have sparked a heated debate. The district has announced that they will be adopting a "language justice" policy as a "long term goal."
This change will allow non-English speaking students to learn in their native languages, which advocates say is necessary to combat the oppressive and racist education system in the United States.
According to the district, there are currently 35,000 students who speak a language other than English at home, with Spanish being the most spoken language. This policy aims to support these students and their families by allowing them to learn in the language they feel most articulate and powerful in.
However, critics argue that this will only further divide the students and hinder their ability to integrate into American society.
The district has included a draft of an equity document that outlines the policy, which they described as "respecting every individual's fundamental language rights." However, the district has not provided any details on how they plan to implement this policy or the cost associated with it.
This has raised concerns among taxpayers who will ultimately have to foot the bill for this program.
It's worth noting that the "language justice" policy was pushed by the Colorado chapter of the education advocacy organization, Stand for Children. The group has stated that they will continue to work with school leaders and staff to ensure that this policy is enforced in every classroom and school.
But what does this mean for teachers and students?
According to the Community Language Cooperative, the organization behind the advocacy for "language justice,” it involves hiring bilingual staff members and providing translation services for meetings and events.
But this isn't just about hiring more translators and interpreters. The Community Language Cooperative has explicitly stated that they will be allocating significant funds towards these efforts. This raises serious questions about the budget and how these funds will affect other important areas of education.
Rosa Guzman-Snyder, co-founder of Community Language Cooperative, has stated that implementing "language justice" is about "creating systems and building infrastructure" for linguistically diverse families. This seems like a lot of work and resources for a policy that has no proven benefits for students' academic success.
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Supporters of the "language justice" policy argue that it will create a more inclusive and equitable education system.
However, the reality is that it will only further divide students and hinder their ability to fully integrate into American society.