Chinese American students fight for their rights.

Chinese American students fight for their rights. Introduction Adolescents in suburban American schools are expected to followclass rules and school discipline policies, and little attention hasbeen paid to their rights. Since young people in schools have littlepower, they usually cannot challenge school board members andprincipals. The power hierarchy (Parker, 2003) in schools determinesthat young people accept school rules and the knowledge that schoolrequires them to learn. Young people's requests for their rightscan, therefore, be regarded as "making trouble" (Soto, 1997;Spring, 2002). In addition, schools may deprive de��privev.1. To take something from someone or something.2. To keep from possessing or enjoying something. young people of theirrights (Cooper & White, 2004) through language assimilation AssimilationThe absorption of stock by the public from a new issue.Notes:Underwriters hope to sell all of a new issue to the public.See also: Issuer, UnderwritingAssimilation andrepressive re��pres��siveadj.Causing or inclined to cause repression. language policies (Sleeter, 2005; Spring, 2007). Students of color not of the white race; - commonly meaning, esp. in the United States, of negro blood, pure or mixed.See also: Color , for example, have little chance of speakingtheir home languages and some are punished pun��ish?v. pun��ished, pun��ish��ing, pun��ish��esv.tr.1. To subject to a penalty for an offense, sin, or fault.2. To inflict a penalty for (an offense).3. by schools for doing sobecause of English-only policies (Nieto, 2002; Sleeter, 2005; Soto,1997). Because white teachers and administrators dominate publicschools, students of color encounter few teachers and administratorsfrom their community; students of color may feel that they aremarginalized and that no one cares about their rights (Nieto, 2002;Valenzuela, 1999). Because the voices of students of color in schools have littlechance of being heard, students of color often ask for help from theirparents, their community, and other groups to fight for their rights ineducation (Soto, 1997); sometimes they venture outside of the schoolsystem to seek support from society (Valenzuela, 1999) because theirvoices are ignored by school administrators. In order to succeed ingaining the education they want and need, some students must challengeschool policies and practices (Nieto, 2002). The experience of a group of Chinese American Chinese Americans (Chinese language: 美籍華人 or 華裔美國人) are Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of Overseas Chinese and are a subgroup of Asian Americans. students at RiversideHigh School Riverside High School may refer to: Riverside High School — Lake City, Arkansas Riverside High School — Oakland, Iowa Riverside High School — Avon, Mississippi Riverside High School — Riverside, New Jersey (1) provides an illustration of the challenges studentsconfront in the struggle for their rights. Located in a small universitytown in a Midwestern state in the U.S., this school has a diversepopulation of students with about 13 percent being Chinese, 2 percentother Asian except for Chinese, 74 percent White, 4 percent Latina/o, 5percent Black, and 2 percent multiracial. Most of the Chinese studentsare from upper-middle class families with parents who are facultymembers at the local university; some work in local high-tech companies.These students felt an urgency to learn Chinese after they learned aboutincreasing trade and cultural and political relations between the UnitedStates United States,officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and China. As second-generation Chinese Americans The following is a list of Chinese Americans who are famous, have made significant contributions to the American culture or society politically, artistically or scientifically, or have appeared in the news numerous times.See also a List of Taiwanese Americans. , however, theycan read and write little Chinese, which means that they are losing theChinese language (Wong Fillmore, 1991); furthermore, they know littleabout Chinese culture. They expressed their desire to study Chinese as aforeign language to their teachers, who agreed to pass the message tothe principal, since only Spanish, German, and French are offered asforeign language options at the school. The negative response from the principal disappointed the students.They united to seek help from their parents and community members toaddress their concerns. Students assumed the role of activists; that isthey took it upon themselves to effect the change they felt wasnecessary for them to succeed in school and in the future. Inchallenging the existing situation, in demanding that their homelanguage be taught in school, students were no longer passivelyfollowing school rules and regulations. It is no surprise that this formof activism came about as a result of the denial of language rightssince language, as an expression of culture and as a meaning makingprocess, is at the center of personal identity (Soto, 1997). Thus, asstudents advocated to have their home language taught in their school,they were striving for recognition of who they are. They wrote a letterstating the importance of studying Chinese as their foreign language andexplaining its significance to themselves and to their society. Theywent door-to-door asking parents to endorse the letter; about 95 percentof the parents endorsed it. The letter with the parents' signatureswas sent to the school by community leaders to demonstrate thecommunity's support on this issue. The community leaders were toldthat this issue would be discussed at the scheduled board meeting thenext month. Parents and community members also talked to a faculty member inthe Chinese department at the university and asked the faculty member towrite a letter explaining the importance of children's home children's homen → centro de acogida para ni?oschildren's homen → foyer m d'accueil (pour enfants)children's homen language to their academic success, their future career success, tofamily communication (Cummins, 1979; Krashen, 1988; Wong Fillmore,1991), and to the transmission of family values family valuespl.n.The moral and social values traditionally maintained and affirmed within a family. (Soto, 1997). The letterwas sent to the school board in the hope that it would positivelyinfluence their decision on this issue. Chinese students talked to theirparents about staging a sit-in outside of the school board meeting roomto send a message to the board about the Chinese students' strongdesire to learn Chinese. Before the scheduled board meeting, the Chinesestudents gathered outside of the school board meeting room requestingthat the school offer Chinese as a foreign language in the high school. The school board responded that the request would be considered iffunding were available the next semester se��mes��ter?n.One of two divisions of 15 to 18 weeks each of an academic year.[German, from Latin (cursus) s . The students and parents feltdisappointed about the response, but they were willing to wait and see.They were ready to fight for their rights to the end. But was theboard's decision to wait merely a stalling stall?1?n.1. A compartment for one domestic animal in a barn or shed.2. a. A booth, cubicle, or stand used by a vendor, as at a market.b. tactic? Why was theChinese students' request, which was supported by parents andcommunity members, ultimately refused by the school administrators andthe school board? Does the refusal imply that parents and communitymembers knew nothing about their children's needs in education? Whywere these Chinese students deprived of their right to learn Chinese asa foreign language? In order to understand the reasons behind the parental andcommunity support of these students, a survey was conducted amongChinese parents to assess what they know about language loss, power,knowledge, and democracy. The results demonstrate that Chinese parentsknow what is valuable to their children's education; that Chineseparents know the importance of having their culture represented amongschool teachers, administrators, and board members and the importance offighting for power; and that those Chinese students made the rightdecision to fight for their right to study Chinese as a foreignlanguage. To examine this issue, it is necessary to position it withinthe existing research literature. We review literature on knowledge,power, language, and democracy to help in understanding why thesestudents fought for their right to learn Chinese and why that actionfailed. The findings from the survey are discussed in light of thecurrent knowledge base. Literature Review The Power to Determine What Students Learn Knowledge is never neutral (Code, 1991). The power, therefore, tomake decisions about what types of knowledge should be taught in schoolis critical. It determines what ideas, values, and information should beincluded in education and what kind of citizens schools intend tocultivate cul��ti��vate?tr.v. cul��ti��vat��ed, cul��ti��vat��ing, cul��ti��vates1. a. To improve and prepare (land), as by plowing or fertilizing, for raising crops; till.b. . Spring (2002), an educational researcher who focuses onunderstanding inequalities This page lists Wikipedia articles about named mathematical inequalities. Pure mathematicsAbel's inequality Barrow's inequality Berger's inequality for Einstein manifolds Bernoulli's inequality Bernstein's inequality (mathematical analysis) in schooling and education policies, states,"What students learn in school could affect their future decisionsregarding politics, economics, consumption, and social moralissues" (p. 32). Because what students learn in school isconstructed by dominant groups who control institutions (Apple, 1993),those who graduate from schools tend to meet the needs of dominantgroups. Spring (2002) finds, "Since the civil rights movement ofthe 1950s and 1960s, the pattern of elite control has changed and hasresulted in major political conflicts over control of school boards.This type of political conflict will increase in the years ahead"(p. 16). Bryant, the former head of the National School Boards'Association, commented on the disproportional dis��pro��por��tion��al?adj.Disproportionate.dispro��por representation of minoritypopulations in 1996 (as cited in Spring, 2002). Hess (2002), in hissurvey of 2000 school districts nationwide, found that 85.5 percent ofschool board members are white, 7.8 percent African-American, and 3.8percent Hispanic. This disproportionate dis��pro��por��tion��ate?adj.Out of proportion, as in size, shape, or amount.dispro��por underrepresentation of minoritypopulations hinders their political and educational interests. Minoritystudents' needs and minority parents' concerns are unlikely tobe discussed at school board meetings. Little attention may be given tothe applications of minority teachers and administrators. Meier andStewart (1991), in their research focusing on Latinas/os, find that themore Hispanics there are on a school board, the more Latinas/os thereare in school administration, resulting in more Latina/o teachers in theschool and, most importantly Adv. 1. most importantly - above and beyond all other consideration; "above all, you must be independent"above all, most especially , more Latina/o students graduating fromhigh school. Therefore, a minority group's political power helps todetermine whether the group's educational needs can be met (Meier& Stewart, 1991; Spring, 2002). Spring (2002), examining how various interest groups influence thepolitics of school education, argues that dominant groups want tocontrol others through the distribution of knowledge and that studentswith knowledge will learn to free themselves from the control of others.Education, therefore, is not for transmission of knowledge (Freire,1970); education should help students become critical thinkers so thatthey know what knowledge and skills they need and how to take action tofight for what they need. Banks (1996) believes: Students also should be taught how to create their own interpretations of the past and present, as well as how to identify their own positions, interests, ideologies, and assumptions. Teachers should help students to become critical thinkers who have the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and commitments needed to participate in democratic action to help the nation close the gap between its ideals and its realities. (p. 5) Therefore, it is important to help students become criticalthinkers in schools controlled by dominant groups because theirparticipation in democratic actions may not only help them liberate (Liberate Technologies, San Mateo, CA) A software company that specialized in the information appliance field. Formerly Network Computer, Inc. (NCI), a spin-off from Oracle in 1996, it changed its name in 1999. themselves from the control of dominant groups but also help the nationbecome democratic and just. The Power to Determine Language Researchers find that bilingual bi��lin��gual?adj.1. a. Using or able to use two languages, especially with equal or nearly equal fluency.b. students possess certain advantagesthat help them succeed academically in school and that bilingualstudents enhance family communication (Cummins, 1979; Krashen, 1988;Wong Fillmore, 1991). Many students, however, are losing their homelanguage. Each year, many families immigrate im��mi��grate?v. im��mi��grat��ed, im��mi��grat��ing, im��mi��gratesv.intr.To enter and settle in a country or region to which one is not native. See Usage Note at migrate.v.tr. to the U.S.A. with theirchildren, and these families initially continue to use their nativelanguage at home (Waggoner, 1993); two to three years later, parentsfind that their children no longer want to speak their home language.The loss of a home language means the loss of opportunities tocommunicate between generations (Wong Fillmore, 1991), which preventschildren from learning home and community values, beliefs, and culturalwisdom (Soto, 1997), particularly if the parents cannot speak English orthe parents do not want to learn English. English-only policies change public attitudes toward minoritylanguages. Under such policies, minority children in school have noenvironment where they may speak their home language. Punishment ofchildren of color who speak their home language at school was reportedin California, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania (Soto, 1997). Sleeter (1997),who studies multicultural teaching in standards-based classrooms,states, "Even though good bilingual education bilingual education,the sanctioned use of more than one language in U.S. education. The Bilingual Education Act (1968), combined with a Supreme Court decision (1974) mandating help for students with limited English proficiency, requires instruction in the native promotes educationalachievement and English acquisition, it also supports bilingualism bilingualism,ability to use two languages. Fluency in a second language requires skills in listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing, although in practice some of those skills are often considerably less developed than others. ,which many monolingual mon��o��lin��gual?adj.Using or knowing only one language.mono��lin Americans regard as anti-English andanti-American (a view which itself reflects historic amnesia amnesia(ămnē`zhə), [Gr.,=forgetfulness], condition characterized by loss of memory for long or short intervals of time. It may be caused by injury, shock, senility, severe illness, or mental disease. )" (p.xii). The dominant groups do not like and even fear bilingual educationbecause bilingual education "challenges the assimilationist natureof education in our society" (Nieto, 2002, p. 90). Within the past 10 years, federal funding for bilingual programshas been drastically dras��tic?adj.1. Severe or radical in nature; extreme: the drastic measure of amputating the entire leg; drastic social change brought about by the French Revolution.2. cut. Bilingual programs in some states wereterminated in public schools. The passage of Proposition 227 in 1998 inCalifornia, for example, made bilingual education in California illegal(Nieto, 2002; Gort, 2005); Arizona in 2000 and Massachusetts in 2002passed laws to make bilingual education illegal in these two states(Gort, 2005). Dominant groups feared that their power was being lost tominority groups and that their control over these groups would declineif the dominant groups continued to give them power (Crawford, 1989;Spring, 2002, 2007). Soto (1997), an educational researcher who advocates for bilingualeducation and for immigrant students' and parents' rights, hasstated that linguistic and cultural repression repression,in psychology: see defense mechanism; psychoanalysis. repressionIn metabolism, a control mechanism by which a protein molecule, called a repressor, prevents the synthesis of an enzyme by binding to (and thus hindering the action of) the in the U.S. will lastunless dominant groups that control educational institutions are willingto give power to, or share power with, minority groups. Spring (2002)finds that the more the minority groups ask for power from the dominantgroups, the more the dominant groups will protect their power. Those whocontrol the school boards and educational institutions determine whichlanguages are taught in schools. Therefore, language is not just acultural issue but a political one. As Osborn and Osborn (2005) state,"Language is a basic human right, and the opportunity to learn fromother 'cultures' is fundamental to an education in ademocratic society" (p. 4). The same issue of repression surrounds foreign language learning inschools. The schools and the nation devalue children's homelanguages. Soto (1997) discusses the lack of competent translators andemployees knowledgeable in other languages and cultures. On the onehand, students of color are losing their home languages becausestudents' home languages are devalued de��val��ue? also de��val��u��atev. de��val��ued also de��valu��at��ed, de��val��u��ing also de��val��u��at��ing, de��val��ues also de��val��u��atesv.tr.1. To lessen or cancel the value of. in school (Gandara, 1994;Nieto, 2002; Sleeter, 2005; Soto, 1997); on the other hand, other groupsof students are struggling to learn foreign languages in class (Nieto,2002). If the schools and teachers create home language-friendlyenvironments to nurture NURTURE. The act of taking care of children and educating them: the right to the nurture of children generally belongs to the father till the child shall arrive at the age of fourteen years, and not longer. Till then, he is guardian by nurture. Co. Litt. 38 b. the students' language skills, it is morelikely that the home languages of students of color may be developedinto language skills and abilities that the nation needs (Soto, 1997).The nation cannot afford to wait for the loss of children's homelanguage before realizing that students need foreign language abilities. Because of English-only policies in public schools and theunfriendly attitudes towards students' home language, minoritystudents may gradually look down upon their home language. Valenzuela(1999), who studies the schooling experience of U. S. Mexican youth,argues that schools rob students of their home language and culture forthe purpose of assimilation and eventually students will lose theiridentity, their family, and friends within their cultural community.This misleading policy and insensitive in��sen��si��tive?adj.1. Not physically sensitive; numb.2. a. Lacking in sensitivity to the feelings or circumstances of others; unfeeling.b. national attitude towardchildren's home languages make students feel that English is theonly language worth learning. Students may have no motivation to learnforeign languages and their home languages as well (Wong Fillmore,1991). In effect, non-English speaking students pay a much higher priceto obtain knowledge in school because they are losing their homelanguage and culture in the process (Ovando & Gourd gourd(gôrd, grd), common name for some members of the Cucurbitaceae, a family of plants whose range includes all tropical and subtropical areas and extends into the temperate zones. , 1996). Democracy and the Choice to Share Power Power and democracy are contradictory. Those who have power want tocontrol others and do not want to give freedom to those they control. Inhis study of democracy, diversity, and teaching strategy, Parker (2003)claims, "Members of the dominant group within any society have thepower to oppress op��press?tr.v. op��pressed, op��press��ing, op��press��es1. To keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority: a people who were oppressed by tyranny.2. members of other groups in numerous ways, formally andinformally" (p. 156). He continues, "One could argue thatthose who most need democratic enlightenment Enlightenment,term applied to the mainstream of thought of 18th-century Europe and America.Background and Basic TenetsThe scientific and intellectual developments of the 17th cent. , especially a highlydeveloped sense of justice, are those who occupy the board rooms,legislatures, court chambers and faculty positions at prestigiousuniversities" (p. 156). Because dominant group members lack a senseof democracy (Spring, 2002), minority groups should continuously fightfor their democratic rights. After defining tolerance and analyzing its roles in democraticenlightenment and political engagement, Parker (2003) concludes that acitizen who actively participates in political activities will have abetter chance to influence public policy than the citizen who is merelya viewer of political activities. In a case study about parents'and community members' request for bilingual education in a PuertoRican Puer��to Ri��co? Abbr. PR or P.R.A self-governing island commonwealth of the United States in the Caribbean Sea east of Hispaniola. community in Steel Town, Soto (1997) found that schooladministrators ignored their requests; these findings are consistentwith those of other researchers (Sleeter, 1997). Moreover, this denied request closely mirrors that of the RiversideSchool Board The Riverside School Board (RSB) is an English-language school board in the province of Quebec. The RSB is responsible for anglophone public schools on Montreal's south shore. The name comes from the fact that the school board's district is parallel to the St. Lawrence River. . Spring (2002) explains the power dynamics at work in thesekinds of situations when he argues, "Freedom of expression in theclassroom is limited by the power of school administrators, curriculamandated by state governments and school boards, pressures fromspecial-interest groups, the activities of politicians, standardizedtesting, and mandated textbooks" (p.201). In the teaching of socialscience and history in schools, public school administrators choose toavoid controversial political issues to make sure that they are safefrom attack by other groups (Spring, 2002). The same may be said of students' interest in learning aforeign language such as Chinese. In these kinds of classrooms, studentslose chances to learn different views about controversial issues thatthey will face in reality because those who have power care more aboutthe interests of various political and business groups than they doabout what knowledge is useful and necessary to students (such asreclaiming For the neopagan organization of this name, see Reclaiming (neopaganism). For the reclaiming of land, see land reclamation. To reclaim is to bring a word back to a more acceptable course. their home language). Parker (2003) discusses what studentsneed in school and how to help students become critical thinkers: Schools are places where people from numerous private worlds and social positions come together in face-to-face contact around matters that are central to the problems of actually living together on common ground. When aimed at democratic ends and supported by the proper democratic circumstances, this interaction in schools can help children develop the habits of thinking and caring necessary for public life--the courtesies, tolerance, respect, sense of justice, knack for forging public policy with others whether one likes them or not. (p. 160) Students must be granted their democratic rights to talk about realproblems and issues in their community and in society and to becomecritical thinkers. Likewise, they should not be oppressed op��press?tr.v. op��pressed, op��press��ing, op��press��es1. To keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority: a people who were oppressed by tyranny.2. byauthoritarian ideas and information. Students should take actions tofight for their rights because those who have power do not honorstudents' rights willingly. This notion, in relation to the ChineseAmerican students and their parents at Riverside High is discussedfurther in the Findings and Discussion section. Methodological Approach Because the Chinese American students' request to studyChinese as a foreign language was denied by the school administration,students' parents and the Chinese community decided to becomeinvolved in the students' action. With the approval of theirparents, students gathered outside of the school board meeting roomrequesting the school to offer Chinese as a foreign language. Theresponse from the school administration was that they would considertheir request next semester if funding and a Chinese teacher wereavailable. This, however, is not an issue of the funding and a teacher.Why are French, German, and Spanish taught as foreign languages in thehigh school? We contend that the school administrators and school boarddid not trust that the parents and their community knew the ChineseAmerican students' educational needs, which is consistent with whatSoto (1997) found in her study that Spanish speaking or Spanish andEnglish bilingual parents knew nothing about their children's needsbecause school administrators are the educational experts. What parents know about their children's educational needs andwhy the parents and their community were involved with students'action were what we explored. In 2006, we conducted a survey to explorethe parental and community support in the students' fight for theirright to study Chinese as a foreign language. Most parents in thiscommunity are faculty members at a university in the same town. Somework for the local high-tech companies. The sampled parents in theChinese community were identified through telephone listings and emailadresses. We sent out email messages to the parents who had child(ren)at Riverside High School, explaining what the research was about, whatthe survey was for, and inviting them to take the survey. The parentswere also informed that the survey was anonymous and no sensitivepersonal information would be collected. Subsequent telephone contactwas also made to invite the parents to take the survey. Twenty parents responded, expressing their willingness to take thesurvey. We received 18 of 20 surveys that were distributed to parents.Data collected included parents' and children's home languageuse; parents' home language proficiency Language proficiency or linguistic proficiency is the ability of an individual to speak or perform in an acquired language. As theories vary among pedagogues as to what constitutes proficiency[1], there is little consistency as to how different organisations and English proficiency pro��fi��cien��cy?n. pl. pro��fi��cien��ciesThe state or quality of being proficient; competence.Noun 1. proficiency - the quality of having great facility and competence ;parents' knowledge of representation of Asian or Chinese minorityteachers, board members, and administrators; parents' knowledgeabout the nature of knowledge that their children learned in school; andchildren's complaints about discrimination at schools. Findings and Discussion Survey results (see Table 1) show that 70 percent of theparticipants have earned a Ph.D. and that 30 percent of the participantshold a master's degree. There were about 80 Chinese parents whowere either faculty members in the local university or engineers in thelocal high-tech companies in 2006. According to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. the statistics from theChinese Students Government in the local university in 2006, there wereabout 800 students from mainland China, 90 percent of whomh are graduatestudents. Traditionally, Chinese parents and the Chinese community valuethe education of children and are actively involved and supportive. Forinstance, they talk to their children about school work, help organizeChinese cultural events in school, work as volunteers in class, and soon. Chinese families in the community gather together every year tocelebrate the traditional Spring Festival and other festivals. Duringthese celebrations, children are always the center of the activities,opportunities are provided for children to experience Chinese culture,and children are encouraged to demonstrate their talents and to sharetheir success stories. The Chinese language is used in these events sothat children have opportunities to speak Chinese. Parents and the Chinese community in general realize that theirchildren are losing a sense of Chinese culture. Parents express concernabout maintaining their children's Chinese skills. From their owneducational experiences, parents know what knowledge and skills areimportant in their children's education. Soto (1997) reachedsimilar findings in her 9-year case study of the Puerto Rican communityin the Steel Town School District: parents knew what education waseffective for their children--namely, a bilingual education--yet thiskind of education was denied them. Why were students' and theirparents' requests for quality education frequently declined? AsNieto (2002) contends, language is a political issue, and education canfree those who are controlled by the dominant group (Freire, 1970;Spring, 2007). When asked why only Spanish, French, and German are available forforeign language study at the high school, 50 percent of theparticipants did not know the answer; 20 percent think that it isbecause they are American and European languages; and 30 percent believethat funding is available. Regarding the nature of knowledge that theirchildren learned in school, 40 percent of the participants believe thatknowledge should be neutral; 10 percent think that it should beobjective; 10 percent choose both subjective and objective as theiranswer; and 40 percent have no idea about it. The purpose of thequestion was to find out how many parents knew that knowledge isconstructed by dominant groups, which exercise a great deal of bias anddiscrimination. Parents and students should challenge public school practicesbecause these practices aim to maintain the authority of dominant groupsand to silence and marginalize mar��gin��al��ize?tr.v. mar��gin��al��ized, mar��gin��al��iz��ing, mar��gin��al��iz��esTo relegate or confine to a lower or outer limit or edge, as of social standing. students of color (Giroux, 2000). Inorder to maintain western middle-class values and culture in publicschools, the European canon has dominated school curriculum; knowledgeand languages from other cultures must be assimilated to the mainstreamculture (Nieto, 2002; Sleeter, 2005; Spring, 2007). Knowledge in schoolsreflects the different interests of different groups and parties.However, our survey results indicate that most participants do not knowthe nature of the knowledge that their schools provide. Since dominantgroups tend to control institutions, they not only determine what istaught and what is not taught, but they also construct the knowledge inschools (Apple, 1993). Because dominant groups do not want parents orthe general public to know what should be learned and what should not(Cooper & White, 2004; Spring, 2002) parents should be criticalabout the knowledge the school provides to their children. Consideringthis imperative, the parents' support for the Chinesestudents' fight against discrimination and challenge to those whodominate the school power is necessary. The language use of both parents and students at home proves thatparents are concerned about their children losing their home language.Seventy percent of the participants state that they are fluent fluent/flu��ent/ (floo��int) flowing effortlessly; said of speech. Englishspeakers, and 30 percent claim that they are good English speakers. Atotal of 60 percent of the participants use both Chinese and English athome, and 40 percent use Chinese only. None of the participants use onlyEnglish at home. Of all participants, 80 percent think that theirchildren's Chinese proficiency is good, and 20 percent believe thattheir child(ren)'s Chinese proficiency is poor. Although 80 percentof the participants think that their child(ren)'s Chineseproficiency is good, subsequent conversations with the participantsclarify that their children, who have good oral Chinese skills, can readand write little Chinese, which means that they are losing the language(Wong Fillmore, 1991). Overall, 40 percent of the children frequentlyuse Chinese at home; 30 percent rarely use Chinese at home; and 30percent sometimes use Chinese at home. When asked why the parentssupport their children's taking Chinese as a foreign language, 50percent indicate they value home culture integrity; 30 percent thinkthat it is for communication at home; and 20 percent believe that it isfor future career needs. Almost all of the participants try to provide an environment fortheir children to use Chinese at home: 60 percent use both Chinese andEnglish at home, and 40 percent use Chinese only, while none use onlyEnglish. Repressive language policies toward home languages, however,facilitate students' loss of their home language (Ovando &Gourd, 1996; Soto, 1997). Home languages that students bring to classand school are valuable because effective teaching and learning arebased on students' prior knowledge and experience (Nieto, 2002).Administrators and teachers, however, forgot that students of color hadthe experience of learning in their home languages. According to Nieto(2002), "Educators by and large accepted as one of their primaryresponsibilities the language assimilation of their students" (p.83). Because Riverside High School refused to provide a course inChinese as a foreign language, Chinese American students have littlechance to develop Chinese proficiency. If school administrators valuedthese students' home languages and cultures and knew how to nurturethese language skills (Gandara, 1994), these students might not sufferthe loss of their home language. (Teachers did appear to support thestudents' position; they were willing to bring the idea to theprincipal. We have no further knowledge at this time aboutteachers' responses.) Students' home language serves as a communication tool betweenchildren and parents and between children and grandparents (WongFillmore, 1991); this communication plays an important role in theireducation about family values and culture and community traditions(Soto, 1997). The survey data show that 50 percent of the participantsvalue home culture integrity, 30 percent think that it is forcommunication at home, and 20 percent believe that it is for futurecareer needs. Seventy percent of the participants are university facultymembers, the rest hold a master's degree, and all report that theirEnglish proficiency is either fluent or good, the need for Chinese forhome communication is not urgent. However, 60 percent of the participants use both Chinese andEnglish at home, and 40 percent use Chinese only. A total of 80 percentof the participants realize the importance of Chinese in maintaining theintegrity of their home culture. These results support the idea thatparents know what is valuable to their children and what abilities theirchildren should have. The research literature supports these findings(Soto, 1997). Ultimately, the Chinese students' decision to seekhelp from their parents as they fight for their right to study Chineseis entirely consistent with what we know about parents' knowledgeof their chidlren's educational needs. When asked about the number of Chinese or Asian Americans This page is a list of Asian Americans. Politics1956 - Dalip Singh Saund became the first Asian immigrant elected to the U.S. Congress upon his election to the House of Representatives. 1959 - Hiram Fong became the first Asian American elected to the U.S. Senate. in thehigh school administration and on the school board, 80 percent believethat there are no Chinese or Asian Americans in the high schooladministration or on the school board, and 20 percent report that theyhave no idea. As to whether there is a Chinese or Asian American A��sian A��mer��i��canalso A��sian-A��mer��i��can ?n.A U.S. citizen or resident of Asian descent. See Usage Note at Amerasian.A teacherin the high school, 60 percent of the participants believe that thereare no Chinese or Asian teachers at the high school; 30 percent reportthat they do not know; and 10 percent report that there is one ChineseAmerican teacher in the day care center in the school district. It ishard to believe that Chinese American students' voices can be heardat school board meetings in such a district. That is why the Chinesestudents staged a sit-in outside of the school board meeting room toprotest against discrimination and against those who dominate theschool. The empowerment em��pow��er?tr.v. em��pow��ered, em��pow��er��ing, em��pow��ers1. To invest with power, especially legal power or official authority. See Synonyms at authorize.2. of minority groups, therefore, is necessary toguarantee the rights of equal access to quality education for minoritystudents. Because dominant groups with power are unwilling to sacrificethat power (Cooper & White, 2004; Spring, 2002), minority groupsmust fight for it. Parents in the Chinese community realize theimportance of fighting for power to protect their children's andcommunity rights. In personal conversations, two of the parentsexpressed their intention of running for a school board position,perhaps as a result of this ongoing matter. Significantly, there are no Chinese American teachers at RiversideHigh School. The lack of representation in the faculty, in the schooladministration, and on the school board makes Chinese American studentsfeel that there is no one like them in a position of educational powerand that no one appreciates their home language and culture. This, inturn, made them look outside of the school for support and for theirgoal of having Chinese taught as a foreign language. With the support ofparents and others in the Chinese community, these students developed apetition to argue for the right to include Chinese as a language optionfor them. When asked about their children's democratic rights at school,no participants heard any complaints that their children'sdemocratic rights at school were deprived. As to discrimination atschool, 80 percent of participants report that they have not heard anychild complain about discrimination at school, but 20 percent say yes,which means that they have heard children's complaints aboutdiscrimination at school. It seems that Chinese parents did not realizethat the denial of the request to study Chinese as a foreign language inthe high school robs Chinese students of democratic rights. It is also aform of discrimination against Chinese students. The Chinesestudents' right to study Chinese as a foreign language is protectedby the law of equal education and state regulations regarding foreignlanguage education (IND. ADMIN See network administrator and system administrator. admin - system administrator . CODE tit. 511, r. 6.1-5.1-4). The Whiteswho dominate power in schools ignore young people's rights orpresume pre��sume?v. pre��sumed, pre��sum��ing, pre��sumesv.tr.1. To take for granted as being true in the absence of proof to the contrary: We presumed she was innocent. that everyone should act as they deem fit. After discussingteaching democracy to students who are not afforded the opportunity tolive it, Spring (2002) suggests "[n]ot only should tools of powerbe shared with those who don't have them; those who do have themmust be educated to use them fairly and compassionately com��pas��sion��ate?adj.1. Feeling or showing compassion; sympathetic. See Synonyms at humane.2. Granted to an individual because of an emergency or other unusual circumstances: " (p.xviii). Students' of color, therefore, must fight arrogance ArroganceSee also Boastfulness, Conceit, Egotism.Artfulness (See CUNNING.)ambertraditional symbol of arrogance. [Gem Symbolism: Jobes, 81]Arachne amongthose with power. Seeking help from parents, community members, andother groups, as the Chinese students at Riverside High did, is aneffective way to direct the attention of school administrators and boardmembers to young people's democratic rights and their right to anequal education. Young people are the future of the nation. What theylearn and how they experience democracy in school can help them form thehabit of critical thinking which, in turn, will help develop their senseof justice, which may contribute to an improved future for the nation(Parker, 2003). Chinese parents and community members' involvement with theirchildren's education and democratic needs demonstrates that theyunderstand the importance of Chinese as a home language now and Chineseas a foreign language in the future and that they understand theimportance of helping fight for their children's democratic rights.Hidalgo Hidalgo, state, MexicoHidalgo(ēthäl`gō), state (1990 pop. 1,888,366), 8,058 sq mi (20,870 sq km), central Mexico. Pachuca de Soto is the capital. , Bright, Siu, Swap, and Epstein (1995) believe that thepartnership among families, schools, and community demonstrate that noone unit itself can guarantee the success of children in education andsocialization socialization/so��cial��iza��tion/ (so?shal-i-za��shun) the process by which society integrates the individual and the individual learns to behave in socially acceptable ways. so��cial��i��za��tionn. . Moreover, parents and community members realize that theknowledge and skills of foreign languages are indispensable for ournation to exert its influence on international affairs Noun 1. international affairs - affairs between nations; "you can't really keep up with world affairs by watching television"world affairsaffairs - transactions of professional or public interest; "news of current affairs"; "great affairs of state" , to compete inworld business, and to communicate among other peoples (Soto, 1997).Sleeter (2005) maintains that: As U. S. citizens, we severely shortchange our ability to communicate with the rest of the world when we insist that communication be done in English because most of us are not bilingual, that school-children learn English only. And that languages other than English be "overcome" rather than nurtured. If we began to expect that everyone master at least two languages (including English), our collective ability to communicate with the rest of the world would be greatly strengthened. (p. 7) Furthermore, foreign language skills may help students find anideal career in the competitive job market. Therefore, repressivelanguage policies and assimilationist policies toward students'home languages hurt the students, the parents, the community, and thenation. Chinese students found that there is something wrong in the highschool administration and school board. They realized that language is apolitical issue and that they must continue to challenge the dominantpower and school practice so that their equal education can be possible.In a conversation with a faculty member at the university who has achild in Riverside High School, she told us that her son once questionedher: why is there no teacher in the high school from the Chinesecommunity? Why are there Chinese faculty at the university? She told usthat she told her son because the university hired Chinese faculty likeher, but the high school did not hire Chinese American teachers. Shewent on and said that it seemed that her son was puzzled by the answer.She also told us one more question that her son asked: Do you think thatI can be a teacher in my high school after I graduate from a university?She answered her son's question with encouragement: Why not? It isa good idea. She was glad to hear her son's plan and told us thatit seemed that her son had figured out something and planned tochallenge the power and school practices. Conclusion The fight for the rights of Chinese American students in RiversideHigh School to study Chinese is not over. While the request to haveChinese as a foreign language was denied, students plan to continue toadvocate to have their language taught. It is not just an issue offoreign language. It is about who controls power in the school, who hasthe right to determine what language and knowledge are to be learned,and whose interests the school serves. Because of a lack ofrepresentation of Chinese Americans, it is unlikely that their voicescan be heard in the school. Action should be taken to fight for powerand the representation of Chinese Americans in the schooladministration. Teachers with Chinese backgrounds need to be recruited.If the school power is more evenly distributed, the voices of morestudents of color may be heard and young people's democratic rightsmay be given sufficient attention. Parental and community involvement play a key role in the ChineseAmerican students' fight for their rights. Their collaboration notonly strengthens the bond among students, parents, and the community,but it also makes the students feel as if they are not alone in fightingfor their rights. Parents, community members, and students will continueto fight for the right to study Chinese as a foreign language. As Parker(2003) states, "Oppression The offense, committed by a public official, of wrongfully inflicting injury, such as bodily harm or imprisonment, upon another individual under color of office.Oppression, which is a misdemeanor, is committed through any act of cruelty, severity, unlawful exaction, or and discrimination are alive and well inmany forms, both subtle and gross, ... But this is no reason to abandonthe struggle. It is all the more reason to pursue itwholeheartedly whole��heart��ed?adj.Marked by unconditional commitment, unstinting devotion, or unreserved enthusiasm: wholehearted approval.whole " (p. xxi). Students are the future of the nation,and schools should provide equal education to all students so that allstudents may develop with the capacity for critical thought throughdemocratic experience. References Apple, M. W. (1993). 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The growth of multilingualism and the need forbilingual education: What do we know so far? Bilingual Research Journal,17(1, 2), 1-12. Wong Fillmore, L. (1991). When learning a second language meanslosing the first. Early Children Research Quarterly, 6, 323-346. Note (1) "Riverside High School" is a pseudonym pseudonym(s`dənĭm)[Gr.,=false name], name assumed, particularly by writers, to conceal identity. A writer's pseudonym is also referred to as a nom de plume (pen name). . Yuxiang Wang is a graduate student and JoAnn Phillion is aprofessor in the College of Education at Purdue University Purdue University(pərdy`, -d`), main campus at West Lafayette, Ind. , WestLafayette, Indiana West Lafayette (IPA: [wɛst ˈlɑ.fəˌjɛt]) is a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, 65 miles (105km) northwest of Indianapolis. The population was 28,778 at the 2000 census. .Table I.Survey Results. Parents ChildrenParents' education High school diploma 0 Bachelor's 0 Master's 30% Ph.D. 70%Parents' English Fluent 70%proficiency Good 30% Poor 0Children's Chinese Fluentfluency Good 80% Poor 20%Language Use Both English & Chinese at home 60% Chinese only at home 40% English only at home 0 Frequent use of Chinese at home 40% Seldom use of Chinese at home 30% Sometimes use of Chinese at home 30% Frequent use of Chinese in school 0 Seldom use of Chinese in school 0 Sometimes use of Chinese in school 0Why support the Home language integrity 50%fight Communication at home 30% Future career needs 20%Chinese or Asian No 80%administrators or Do not know 20%board members Yes 0in the schooldistrictChinese or Asian No 60%teachers in the Do not know 30%school district Yes 10%Why are Spanish, Do not know 50%French, and German Because they are Americantaught as foreign or European language 20%languages? Because funding is available 30%The nature of Neutral 40%knowledge Do not know 40% Objective 10% Both objective and subjective 10%Students' democratic Yes 100%rights in school No 0are grantedComplaints about Yes 20%discrimination No 80%at school