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
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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.