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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2015)
Street Roots • January 30-February 5, 2015 SOMALI, fro m page 4 News ground, recognizing their assets and working on what we know by research, is the most impacting thing for these kids: developing their first language,” Bacon says. “We’re not going to see the results we would see if we did dual language immersion program,” he says. “Because of the three barriers, and at this point, with our feasibility study that we did, we know We can’t do immersion yet. Can we get there someday? Maybe - I don’t know.” PPS Superintendent Carole Smith will make a decision on the budget, and ultimately the fate of the proposed Somali language program, in March or April. The board will then vote on it in May. In the meantime, nonprofits like African Youth and Community Organization (AYCO) and Immigrant Refugee and Community Organization (IRCO) provide programs that help African youth with their studies outside of school. AYCO director and co-founder Jamal Dar says AYCO has developed after school sports programs, and kids who wish to participate have to help younger community members with their studies. Abdirahman Dahir moved to Portland in 2006 from a refugee camp in Kenya and was placed into a sixth-grade classroom. He had no previous formal education. Dahir, like many other Somali youth, sought the help of a community organization. He says that without the Upward Bound program at IRCO he probably would have gone the way of many of his friends and never graduated. In 2012 he earned his high school diploma, and now he helps his seven younger siblings with their homework. “It’s difficult when you see kids raising their hands and the teacher answering their questions, and you’re sitting there in the back and you don’t even know how to ask anything,” Dahir says. leaders appear to understand and expect.” In addition, Garcia says PPS should look teach social studies. For now, Bacon says into how native language can be strategically this would give.PPS'the most “bang for its used in mainstream and ESL settings and buck.” conduct a sustainability analysis that would Bacon says three barriers stand in ihe identify program goals based on parents’ way of not only implementing a Somali dual demand, student need and desired language program, but also of implementing outcomes. the native literacy program his department Garcia says the traditional ESL program is proposing. He says the 480 Somali also needs work. Many ESL teachers were students in Portland’s school district are librarians or physical education or art scattered, so significant busing would be teachers before losing their jobs during required to get them all to the three school massive layoffs in the 1990s, Garcia says. clusters being considered for the program: They were able to come back on as ESL the Wilson, Roosevelt and Madison high teachers, but teaching English isn’t their schools and the elementary and middle specialty. “In Oregon, as a state, We don’t do schools that feed into them. a good job of hiring, Secondly, there are no available course training and materials. developing ESL “It’s not like we can go to publishers and teachers,” she says. say, ‘Give me your math materials in Somali,’ Having better-trained it just doesn’t exist. We’re going to have to teachers in ESL do a lot of identifying and developing that,” classrooms could also he says. go a long way in And finally, there is a lack of qualified helping new teachers who speak Somali languages. Since immigrant students to posting a want ad for a Somali-language- assimilate, she says. speaking teacher in early December, the AYCO and other district has not immigrant community received one qualified groups haye been applicant, he says. pushing for language programs within PPS While there are many language that will support their es among Im m igrant students efforts as community that are net represented In this A m mal Amir is a organizations to special langnage program^ xTlcc ollege graduate address issues with fluent in Somali Somali Is the most cemntenly assimilating African language and youth. AYCO director spoken. PPS has Dar says he has come to mistrust the school Immersion Classes in Spanish/ interested in teaching kids in the proposed district after four years of what he says Vietnamese, Bnsslan, Japanese program. As a Somali amount to empty promises. and M andarin languages that refugee who moved to “It’s always ‘yes, yes’ and then nothing the U.S. when she h a w a higher demand among happens,” he says. He’s sient in several English-speaking students that was 12, Amir’s proposals for different programs upon request, but then been denied each time, he f i l l h alf the seats In a dual lan experienced first-hand what it’s like to go to says. “We’ve had 60, 70, 90 people in front guage classroom. he Somali native literacy program that a school where none of the board, and we get no result,” he says. was proposed would be the first program of the teachers looked Despite the barriers standing in the way, of its kind in PPS, but G.M. Garcia, former there is a clear need for Somali youth to like her or talked like PPS Dual Language Immersion Program her. But while she is have a connection with their native director, says the program being offered the fluent in Somali she lacks teaching languages built into the school system. As Somali community “sounds like a consolation they are thrust into a new culture and credentials. Because Oregon doesn’t have a prize.” program to certify Somali teachers language, someone in the system who places She says resources should go to fix specifically, Somalis with a bachelor’s a value on the assets they already have can problems with the dual language immersion degree, like Amir has, might be eligible to make a big difference, says Bacon. and ESL programs that are already in place teach the languages. Bacon is looking into Mohamud never graduated from high before the district introduces a whole new ways to get her on track to getting a license. school, but she was able to enroll in a program. He says there’s no shortage of educated Portland Community College program that While overseeing the dual language Somalis who can teach in Portland. allows immigrants ages 16 to 20, who don’t program in 2013, Garcia says she saw slots “We just need to figure out how to get speak English as their first language and in dual language programs given to native them through our system so that we can get who don’t have a high school diploma or English speakers because immigrant them the proper licensing and into our GED, to further their education. Jeff Laff students - who really needed the program - classrooms,” he says. manages this program, called Yes to College, often couldn’t get the transportation to the While the proposed program is not the and he says Mohamud is one of the schools where it was being offered. In some optimal approach, Amir says she believe? it program’s “greatest success stories.” He cases, parents didn’t even know the program can help kids who are English speakers says, “She’s persevered much longer than existed. Because each school gets 50 percent communicate better with their relatives and most students in her situation.” Mohamud more funding for each of its ESL students, strengthen the academic achievement of continued to learn English for several more there is a financial incentive for principals to those who are not. “It will make a difference years at PCC, then took classes to help her keep students on their schools’ rosters: If in every Somali household,” she says. get a GED so she could begin to take classes they lose the student, they lose the extra Bacon hopes that the native literacy for credit. She is on track to earn an funds. program he has proposed will set the course associates degree in 2016. Garcia says for the proposed Somali native for developing both materials and teachers Laff says immigrant students who move to literacy program to work, it will need to be for a more comprehensive program later on. the U.S. when they are high-school age are implemented properly and have the support He wants to start this fall by providing not given enough direct English instruction of schools within the district. classes at several schools that will develop in the high school setting. “If we don’t have resources comparable to Somali students’ skills in their native Now married and a mother of three, the English-only education, parents deserve languages, and therefore raise their chances Mohamud says she hopes her children will to know,” Garcia says. “I am also very of doing well in other areas. be able to learn both English and her native concerned about the gap between what was “This is not a cure-all by any means. This Somali language in public school someday. presented to the board and what the Somali is about starting to put a stake in the ■ Page 5 / P H O T O B Y D tE G O D IA Z Abdirahman Dahir moved to Portland in 2006from a refugee camp in Kenya and was placed into a sixth- grade classroom. He had no previous formal education. Dahir, like many other Somali youth, sought the help o f a community organization.
