Andrew Friedman

Education Equity on track for 2005 passage

After years of immigrant parents not being able to read their children's report cards, not being able to communicate with teachers at parent-teacher meetings, or not being able to participate in the parent association at their child's school, the City Council is close to fixing the problem.

The Education Equity Act, legislation in the City Council, will ensure that public school children whose parents don't speak English are given an equal opportunity to succeed academically. The legislation will require the DOE to translate key documents for parents and to provide on-site interpretation services for parents. The legislation promotes real parent involvement and has garnered the support of the United Federation of Teachers and a wide range of education, civil rights and immigrant advocates.

The legislation is scheduled to be voted out of the Education Committee of the City Council on November 10th. Currently, eight out of nine Education Committee members are supporting the legislation. Speaker Miller has promised to schedule the legislation for a vote at the first Stated Council meeting in December. The legislation is currently being sponsored by a veto-proof thirty-five City Council members, including Speaker Miller.

Once the City Council passes this important legislation, the ball will be in Mayor Bloomberg's court. He has made parent involvement a centerpiece of his educational reforms. Let's hope that he will support equal opportunities for involvement in their children's education for New York City's hundreds of thousands of limited English proficient, immigrant parents.

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Posted at 9:21 AM, Nov 04, 2005 in Education | Immigration | New York
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