Letter: Lowering standards doesn’t help anyone

Sunday, July 15, 2007 | 2:30 a.m.

I am writing in response to Emily Richmond's July 11 article; "English learners up in Nevada, but feds don't see it that way":

I question the logic behind the claim that costly specialized language programs are the answer to improving graduation rates among Hispanic students.

My family's immigration story is that of millions of immigrants who came to the U.S. for generations. My grandparents emigrated to the U.S. legally and did not speak English. They were of humble means and raised four healthy, well-adjusted children. My grandparents achieved this without governmental entitlements, except for the offer of public education for their children, for which they were very grateful. All four of their children entered public school speaking English, graduated high school, graduated college and became successful adults.

Why lower the standards for "new" immigrants? It is an insult to those of us with a scrap of critical thinking skills, and to Hispanic immigrants, to imply that "new" immigrants are not as competent to achieve what generations of immigrants have achieved.

It is likely that costly, $28 million specialized language programs are not the key to a successful public educational system. Sadly, deluded logic pervades the political propaganda machine and detracts from analytical argument. In truth, what is very likely is that the vast expenditure of resources on non-English speaking students diminishes the quality of public education for the English-speaking students.

It is also very likely that we do children, and society as a whole, no favors by continuing to lower the standards of parental responsibility.

Theresa Morrow, Las Vegas