Arabic Apparently Being Mandated in Some Texas Schools

[Selene]

Now this "news" report is ambiguous at best, but if the underlying facts are valid, there needs to be a line by line review of every freaking agency in government by an outside taxpayer auditor.

"Some Students at Mansfield ISD schools could soon be learning Arabic as a required language. The school district wants students at select schools to take Arabic language and culture classes as part of a federally funded grant.

The Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grant was awarded to Mansfield ISD last summer by the U.S. Department of Education.

As part of the five-year $1.3 Million grant, Arabic classes would be mandatory at Cross Timbers Intermediate School and Kenneth Davis Elementary School. The program would also be optional for students at T. A. Howard Middle School and Summit High School.

Parents at Cross Timbers say they were caught off-guard by the program, and were surprised the district only told them about it in a meeting Monday night between parents and Mansfield ISD Superintendent Bob Morrison.

The DOE has identified Arabic as a 'language of the future.' But parent Joseph Balson was frustrated by the past. "Why are we just now finding out about it?" asked Balson. 'It's them (Mansfield ISD) applying for the grant, getting it approved and them now saying they'll go back and change it only when they were caught trying to implement this plan without parents knowing about it.'"

What questions, if this is accurate, should this raise about this entire process from the School Board through to the Dept. of Education and the Congress that authorized the monies.

Adam

Post Script:

http://www.mansfieldisd.org/departments/communications/news.htm <<<<This is there press release page and contacts

http://www.mansfieldisd.org/community.htm <<<<this is there community page

Edited February 9, 2011 by Selene

[Selene]

Communications :: Press Release

Arabic Language Studies Statement

[February 8, 2011]

Mansfield ISD was recently awarded a Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grant focused on the Arabic language from the Department of Education. The District applied for this grant because the Arabic language is listed by the federal government as a critical language. This means that our country has a shortage of Arabic speakers and there is a need for people who are not only proficient in the Arabic language, but also possess knowledge about its cultures and traditions.

Recent concerns have been raised by parents concerning plans for the curriculum. We are working with parents and staff for the language curriculum development.

• Mansfield ISD has slowed the process of implementation to get parent input for curriculum creation.
• There are no “mandatory Arabic classes” as being falsely reported in the media.
• As part of language acquisition and development, the early grades would have elements of Arabic language within the framework of the state-mandated curriculum.
• In the K-6 grades (Davis Elementary and Cross Timbers Intermediate), the curriculum-writing process has stopped.
• In grades 7-12 (T.A. Howard Middle and Summit High School), Arabic language will be offered as elective courses to meet foreign language requirement.
• This project is federally funded for $1.3 million dollars over a 5 year period.

The FLAP grant was created to establish programs to address national shortages in languages including Arabic, Chinese and Russian. Mansfield ISD was one of five school districts in the country selected to receive the Arabic grant. Programs related to the FLAP Arabic grant were scheduled to begin this semester at Cross Timbers Intermediate School and Kenneth Davis Elementary School. Optional Arabic foreign language classes were scheduled to begin next year at T.A. Howard Middle School.

Some have raised questions and concerns about the district’s implementation of the grant. Therefore, Mansfield ISD is slowing the implementation process and will be seeking input from parents in a variety of ways.

Parents will have full access to the written curriculum and will have opportunities for input prior to the district moving forward with this program.

[BaalChatzaf]

Communications :: Press Release

Arabic Language Studies Statement

[February 8, 2011]

Mansfield ISD was recently awarded a Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grant focused on the Arabic language from the Department of Education. The District applied for this grant because the Arabic language is listed by the federal government as a critical language. This means that our country has a shortage of Arabic speakers and there is a need for people who are not only proficient in the Arabic language, but also possess knowledge about its cultures and traditions.

Recent concerns have been raised by parents concerning plans for the curriculum. We are working with parents and staff for the language curriculum development.

• Mansfield ISD has slowed the process of implementation to get parent input for curriculum creation.
• There are no "mandatory Arabic classes" as being falsely reported in the media.
• As part of language acquisition and development, the early grades would have elements of Arabic language within the framework of the state-mandated curriculum.
• In the K-6 grades (Davis Elementary and Cross Timbers Intermediate), the curriculum-writing process has stopped.
• In grades 7-12 (T.A. Howard Middle and Summit High School), Arabic language will be offered as elective courses to meet foreign language requirement.
• This project is federally funded for $1.3 million dollars over a 5 year period.

The FLAP grant was created to establish programs to address national shortages in languages including Arabic, Chinese and Russian. Mansfield ISD was one of five school districts in the country selected to receive the Arabic grant. Programs related to the FLAP Arabic grant were scheduled to begin this semester at Cross Timbers Intermediate School and Kenneth Davis Elementary School. Optional Arabic foreign language classes were scheduled to begin next year at T.A. Howard Middle School.

Some have raised questions and concerns about the district's implementation of the grant. Therefore, Mansfield ISD is slowing the implementation process and will be seeking input from parents in a variety of ways.

Parents will have full access to the written curriculum and will have opportunities for input prior to the district moving forward with this program.

Nothing wrong with Arabic as an elective. A lot more useful than Hebrew as an elective.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[Mike11]

I could never understand America's Anglo-centrism.

The world will not end when schools in the south west start requiring Spanish or Cantonese as a second language.

Unless this is an issue specifically with Arabic, in which case....

[william.scherk]

Unless this is an issue specifically with Arabic, in which case....

The first story is the best. Rumour and hysterical overreaction to the Mandatory Imposition Of A Foreign Terrorist Language!

Eeek, a terror language.

Funny how one Objectivish current deplores some/all/most Islamic thought, and fears the Menace, and may even squeal in terror that the Evul Bruthahood has two faces (or nine, like Hydra), speaking a nice fake moderate line in their English books and websites . . . but what are they saying in their native Evul Arabic? We are not getting the Real Story because of communist media filters!

So, when they cast about for a good, white, Christian Texan to help interpret all the Evul Bruthahood Menacing Arabic Calls For Beheadings and Caliphate . . . they can thank the panicked parents of Dumbfuck County for reducing the chances of knowing the enemy.

Me, I use Chrome and the built-in an add-on Google Terrortalk Translater, so I can read the Menace in all its raw evul Arabicosity.

Edited February 9, 2011 by william.scherk

[william.scherk]

Now this "news" report is ambiguous at best, but if the underlying facts are valid, there needs to be a line by line review of every freaking agency in government by an outside taxpayer auditor.

"Some Students at Mansfield ISD schools could soon be learning Arabic as a required language. The school district wants students at select schools to take Arabic language and culture classes as part of a federally funded grant.

Can you please give a link to this original story that you quoted and marked up?

[william.scherk]

Now this "news" report is ambiguous at best, but if the underlying facts are valid, there needs to be a line by line review of every freaking agency in government by an outside taxpayer auditor.

"Some Students at Mansfield ISD schools could soon be learning Arabic as a required language. The school district wants students at select schools to take Arabic language and culture classes as part of a federally funded grant.

Can you please give a link to this original story that you quoted and marked up?

Don't worry about that link, Adam. I tracked down the original story at Cbsdfw.com, and it has been 'updated.' It looks like the original story was worded the same way as your excerpt, and roared round the internet raising hackles all the way.

Then, some honcho or honchos checked the reporters work and found out that there was no mandatory nature whatsoever. The original story has been tidied up and all the words like 'requirement' and 'mandatory' have been removed.

It seems that the locality is in one of those Texas neighbourhoods with a large population of native Arabic speakers.

Funny how the original shitty reporting is simply 'updated,' with no apologies for mistakes in the original story. The genie is out of the bottle and has whipped up the frenzy of ignorance that the original story reflected. Slophound journalism at its best. Next time, please check the original source, huh?

[Mike11]

In fairness to Selene, he did say "news".

[william.scherk]

In fairness to Selene, he did say "news".

Yup, you are right. Sorry to be such a bitch, Adam.

I just hate these memes that roar and then multiply without fact-checking. I see the earliest dateline on any story today comes from Rush Limbaugh. Hundreds of cut and pastes later, thousands of "bring on the burkas" comments later, the corrections are slipped in without "Yo, we fucked up" on the original news source.

Meanwhile, on RushLimbaugh.com, has there been a correction? Not a single mention that the story was inaccurate. The same bullshit is still there.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Glenn Beck made a good observation about this. He said Arabic is not a "language of the future," but instead a very old language people don't use very much in Texas.

That sounds reasonable.

He also doesn't think government funds should be involved in teaching Arabic in Texas, but maybe, instead, a little more English.

That also sounds reasonable.

(This was on the yesterday's show, if I'm not mistaken.)

Here's a story from yesterday's The Blaze (February 9, 2011): Update: Dallas-Area School District Halts Arabic Class Implementation by Jonathon M. Seidl. It includes a video from Fox News interviewing a parent.

And here's an "update" quote from the article and the Fox News video below it:

Fox interviewed a parent from the school district this morning. He called the claim that the classes would not be mandatory "backpedaling," and according to him, the way the plan was communicated would have made such classes required.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4530207/arabic-culture-in-classroom-curriculum/http://video.foxnews.com/v/4530207/arabic-culture-in-classroom-curriculum/

(Doesn't embed so you gotta go there. Sorry.)

Michael

[william.scherk]

One can make a case against teaching foreign languages in schools. One can also make a case against government schools, compulsion, mandatory coursework, state curriculum standards, and so on. One can make a strong, forceful case against any of these things. One can come down on the the Objectivish, libertarian side, and reject anything that smacks of coercion, indoctrination, what have you.

Putting all those things aside, there are other issues that are worth considering, to my mind.

What is the case for having more Westerners who can speak, read, write, translate and interpret Arabic? I don't know. It could be that Beck is right; it could be that Bush/Rice, who established the program that ran into obstacles in Texas are wrong about the importance of an understanding of Arabic today, tomorrow, and in the near future. I don't know.

One of the things I have been doing since the revolution in Tunisia is going beyond Western media reports to look at sites and documents that are in Arabic (and French). In the case of Egypt I was interested to assess the difference between state media and independent media, between US media and Egyptian media, between Al Jazeera Arabic and AJ English, between BBC Arabic and BBC English. Many items appear in the official and semi-independent press, TV sites, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, editorials, official statements, Government press releases, internal documents, Muslim Brotherhood statements, interviews, fatwas, debates . . . and on and on.

I am handicapped, having no Arabic at all, and so rely upon Google Translate to get beyond the first and second layers of information.

Here are just a few questions I try to answer: what is the difference between the English face of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Arabic? what is the difference between what CNN commentators say about a given event, and what Egyptian media of all kinds have to say?

Similarly, if a given Western source has a round-table discussion between an Egyptian, an American, and other native commentator, who are they? I look up their names, affiliations, where they have lived, and whether or not they have fluency in the language of the folks they are talking about. If a member of the student groups mentions Article 77, what is Article 77. If the name Bahey EI-Din Hassan comes up, for example, I wonder first who he is, what faction he represents, what has been said of him in US/Western media and Middle Eastern media, has he been in prison, is he affiliated with the socialists, secularists, labour, the NDP, Wafd, NAC, April 6 and so on. I look to see if he writes in Egyptian media, and so on.

It's a slog.

Beyond that, I have no influence in how America today and tomorrow interprets events in the Middle East, in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Jordan, PT, Syria, Iraq. Yemen, UAE, Northern Sudan and so on. I have no influence on OL members. I am on my own in trying to make sense of that world and the many currents that run through it.

I don't suggest that I have any tools beyond those of Michael, Richard, Bob or anyone else reading this thread. I just wanted to share that I myself find a lack of Arabic to be an impediment to objective assessments.

[Mike11]

..... I was interested to assess the difference between state media and independent media, between US media and Egyptian media, between Al Jazeera Arabic and AJ English ...

AJ is one of the few news agencies I hold in regard. Riz Khan and the Listening Post are excellent programs.

What have been your observations of AJ Arabic vs AJ English?

[william.scherk]

..... I was interested to assess the difference between state media and independent media, between US media and Egyptian media, between Al Jazeera Arabic and AJ English ...

AJ is one of the few news agencies I hold in regard. Riz Khan and the Listening Post are excellent programs.

What have been your observations of AJ Arabic vs AJ English?

One has an international audience of English speakers, the other has a different staff, different emphasis, and invites different folks to opine. Much unmediated religion on AJA, close to zero on AJE. Hijab presenters on AJA, close to none on AJE.

You? Your perspective?

Edited February 10, 2011 by william.scherk

[Mike11]

I could never get into AJ Arabic. Other than the few words that sound Hebrew (which I barely know), I'm lost

[william.scherk]

I could never get into AJ Arabic. Other than the few words that sound Hebrew (which I barely know), I'm lost

Google Translate on their Arabic Website is all I can manage, though I sometimes dip into their live broadcast feed to see if turban heads are yammering, and if the newsreaders are all hijabbed-up.

Egyptian TV and Press is amazing. There is a parallel system. One in the real world, the other in a strange authoritarian bubble world where every word is directed/checked by the state/NDP and approved/commanded by the state/NDP/Interior Ministry. Even this last week, the official press cannot move beyond NDP policy. Of course, the 'free media' expects to be dragged off by the Mukhabarat into the world of Suleiman's goons if they move beyond the margins. The official media is run by NDP administrators anyway.

I am amazed at the breadth of the freer side of the media there. The actually paper press is wildly exuberant (besides its editors and reporters being dragged off to the torture chambers from time to time).

Added: Re 'hijabbed-up,' it looks like the choice of hijab is a personal decision of the presenters, and some of the hijabbed ladies get quite foxy outfits together. None of the female presenters I have seen dress as slutty as the FoxNewsPlayboyBunnies, but close enough to probably enrage traditionalists in some communities. Even Al-Arabiya has whorish-by-Hamas-standards newsreaders.

I think, on balance, Al Jazeera is the best thing to happen in the Middle East in a long long time, in terms of opening up opinion and eyes and the scope of discussion.

Edited February 10, 2011 by william.scherk

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

William,

I don't know enough about Al Jazeera to gush about it as the best thing since sliced bread. I imagine it is like every other large mainstream press organization--that it presents a lot of objective facts, has a point of view of its own based on its star presenters, and tries to manipulate public opinion when it can get away with it for whatever politically expedient issue that the owners find interesting.

As for the USA government teaching Arabic in Texas, why not focus on something a little more practical? Say... I don't know... like teaching English to the Mexican and Latin American immigrants and Spanish as a second language to the Texans?

Does that sound weird or what?

Michael

[Selene]

William,

I don't know enough about Al Jazeera to gush about it as the best thing since sliced bread. I imagine it is like every other large mainstream press organization--that it presents a lot of objective facts, has a point of view of its own based on its star presenters, and tries to manipulate public opinion when it can get away with it for whatever politically expedient issue that the owners find interesting.

As for the USA government teaching Arabic in Texas, why not focus on something a little more practical? Say... I don't know... like teaching English to the Mexican and Latin American immigrants and Spanish as a second language to the Texans?

Does that sound weird or what?

Michael

Michael:

Oh, so you think the purpose of public education is to teach:

1) reading;

2) writing;

3) rithmatic; and

4) English.

Oh wait, yes that is its purpose.

All the electives should be placed on that base. How radical!

Adam

Edited February 11, 2011 by Selene

[william.scherk]

As for the USA government teaching Arabic in Texas, why not focus on something a little more practical? Say... I don't know... like teaching English to the Mexican and Latin American immigrants and Spanish as a second language to the Texans?

Does that sound weird or what?

Not weird at all.

I wrote that many forceful arguments can be made against teaching Arabic in schools in the USA. Then I wrote, "Putting all those things aside, there are other issues that are worth considering, to my mind."

And then I wrote on those other issues. I don't know if you or anyone found them worth considering. I haven't had much reaction to that content, so I expect it's one of those 'chew it over' moments.

If anybody finds what I write about Arabic/Middle Eastern media to be uninteresting 'gush,' I can live with that. I very much appreciate the opportunity to post in this forum.

Edited February 11, 2011 by william.scherk

[caroljane]

As for the USA government teaching Arabic in Texas, why not focus on something a little more practical? Say... I don't know... like teaching English to the Mexican and Latin American immigrants and Spanish as a second language to the Texans?

Does that sound weird or what?

Not weird at all.

I wrote that many forceful arguments can be made against teaching Arabic in schools in the USA. Then I wrote, "Putting all those things aside, there are other issues that are worth considering, to my mind."

And then I wrote on those other issues. I don't know if you or anyone found them worth considering. I haven't had much reaction to that content, so I expect it's one of those 'chew it over' moments.

If anybody finds what I write about Arabic/Middle Eastern media to be uninteresting 'gush,' I can live with that. I very much appreciate the opportunity to post in this forum.

wss, I have come to rely on your analyses because they are things I am interested in but would not take the trouble to research myself.

Also I am barging in to ask, has another election been announced here? I just saw three commercials in a row about how trustworthy Harper is and how foreign Ignatieff is. Oh, not again so soon, couldn't they wait till the time limit?

(to Americans: we are always having to vote at inconvenient times)

Edited February 11, 2011 by daunce lynam

[william.scherk]

I am barging in to ask, has another election been announced here? I just saw three commercials in a row about how trustworthy Harper is and how foreign Ignatieff is. Oh, not again so soon, couldn't they wait till the time limit?

Best start a fresh thread for that, Carol. I suggest "Inexpressibly boring Canucki politics," so folks don't get sidetracked. I would gladly answer there.

[caroljane]

I am barging in to ask, has another election been announced here? I just saw three commercials in a row about how trustworthy Harper is and how foreign Ignatieff is. Oh, not again so soon, couldn't they wait till the time limit?

Best start a fresh thread for that, Carol. I suggest "Inexpressibly boring Canucki politics," so folks don't get sidetracked. I would gladly answer there.

No. no, it's OK. I'll know soon enough anyway. I realize what a ludicrous counterpoint such a comment was to the Egypt thread. Of course I am glad and grateful to vote, it's just the TV ads I can't stand.

Re teaching Arabic in schools- I wasn't aware that any foreign languages were taught in US schools as a routine part of curriculum (it being an officially unilingual country).I suppose it varies from state to state. Arabic is freaking hard. Russian is a bit closer to English, and I tried to learn it at university, but I only got 13% on the midterm, so I had to take geology.

I feel better now. Back to rational discourse.

Edited February 11, 2011 by daunce lynam

[caroljane]

like every other large mainstream press organization--that it presents a lot of objective facts, has a point of view of its own based on its star presenters

Michael

{bolding mine)

Michael, I was very struck by this. Do you mean that Katie Couric etc dictate the agenda of the TV news, and that the star reporters decide the direction of the newspapers?

Edited February 11, 2011 by daunce lynam

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

William,

I actually think learning Arabic is a good idea. If you want to do commerce with the appropriate countries or offer intellectual products there (like a new set of heroes), knowing Arabic is definitely a plus.

My only intent was to frame the issue within the context of, say, 3rd graders in Texas. Unless there is an intent to interact with that culture in some respect, there is no real reason to choose Arabic. Why not Portuguese? Or Swahili? There are way too many languages for that kind of focus.

Besides, it gets on the nerves of the conspiracy nuts.

Michael, I was very struck by this. Do you mean that Katie Couric etc dictate the agenda of the TV news, and that the star reporters decide the direction of the newspapers?

Daunce,

I don't think it's all or nothing. But there is definitely intellectual input and slant from stars. I don't know about Kouric so much because she has serious ratings problems and has had them since she took over as anchor. I don't see much that comes specifically from her that cannot also be attributed to the party line she is expected to promote. I do know Dan Rather called his own shots at CBS.

Michael

[anthony]

I notice that nobody has explicitly blasted the teaching of Arabic in Texan schools. ( Hmm, it does sound strange.)

I believe as long as it's a voluntary subject, then naturally it has value and validity.

I'm guessing there is some system of choice open to students for specialized subjects, so the introduction of one more language - a beautifully expressive one, and who knows how applicable in time to come - should be simple and uncontroversial to implement.

(For instance, the best decisions I made at high school was to take optional French.)

But I admit I don't know too much about the public schooling system there. This is likely already in place in private schools. Is that right?

Spanish, of course, but a young stereotypical Texan engineer entering the oil business, would require fluency in Arabic, I'd imagine.

Tony

[caroljane]

I notice that nobody has explicitly blasted the teaching of Arabic in Texan schools. ( Hmm, it does sound strange.)

I believe as long as it's a voluntary subject, then naturally it has value and validity.

I'm guessing there is some system of choice open to students for specialized subjects, so the introduction of one more language - a beautifully expressive one, and who knows how applicable in time to come - should be simple and uncontroversial to implement.

(For instance, the best decisions I made at high school was to take optional French.)

But I admit I don't know too much about the public schooling system there. This is likely already in place in private schools. Is that right?

Spanish, of course, but a young stereotypical Texan engineer entering the oil business, would require fluency in Arabic, I'd imagine.

Tony

Nail on head! Sometimes things are simpler than they seem.