When Giovanni Cuate began the third grade at P.S. 95 in Brooklyn, he struggled with his reading. He was removed from his regular class and was placed in a class for students with disabilities. He hated the new class, which he said was full of children who bullied him. He couldn’t concentrate. “Sometimes I feel sad,” he said in Spanish, “I want to leave this class because the children behave very badly.”
School officials told his mother, Teresa Gonzalez, that Giovanni had learning difficulties. But from his mother’s perspective, Giovanni’s only problem was that he had trouble with English.
In the United States, about 5 million students were categorized as English language learners in 2006, compared to 3 million a decade before. Over the same time period, the special education population grew from 5.7 million to 6.7 million, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. As the number of students requiring special services increases in both areas, situations like Giovanni’s are increasingly common. Educators must determine whether students are struggling academically because of learning disabilities or just language difficulties.
Linda Wernikoff, executive director of the New York City Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Initiatives, said that English language learners are twice as likely to be referred to special education as typical students. “Most kids are referred to special education because they can’t read,” she said.
English language learners are assessed and observed to determine their needs, and educators also consider anecdotal information received from parents and teachers. They take into account not only competence in one’s native language and English, but also factors such as acculturation, academic background, learning styles, classroom performance and home life.
It’s not always easy to separate issues that stem from disabilities from those that come with language problems. “We certainly have found that the challenges that come with a limited ability to comprehend English can result in certain social and/or behavioral difficulties,” Wernikkoff said.
It helps when parents provide as much information as possible about the student’s prior educational experience in their native country, such as any interruption in education, whether they attended rural or urban schools, and more.
Kim Sweet, the executive director of Advocates for Children of New York, a nonprofit organization that promotes access to quality education, thinks the special education system really does require parents to be strong advocates.
“Children whose parents do not advocate for them have a higher risk of falling through the cracks,” Sweet said and urges parents to contact Advocates for Children or their community-based organizations to learn more about how to advocate successfully.
Gonzalez was not sure her son was properly assessed. Understanding the process is particularly difficult for the parents of English language learners. Gonzalez wanted Giovanni to return to a regular class, but navigating the labyrinth that is the New York City public education system is difficult, and so is advocating for one’s child when it comes to special education decisions. For immigrants like Gonzalez, 42, who came from Mexico, the problem was magnified.
“I do not know how to read in English,” Gonzalez said in Spanish. “When they requested last October that I sign some documents, I thought I was signing to get him the English help he needed,” and not that she was approving special education services.
Many parents turn to community activists for help. With help from Blandie Morales, who was formerly involved in the PTA at P.S. 95, González asked for a review of Giovanni’s case. Morales said that the educators treated the situation with a lack of attention.
“Giovanni’s only problem is that he needs extra help reading and understanding English” – not that he needs special education. “He has very good grades in other classes.”
Giovanni, his mother said, is good at math but struggles in classes that require reading. “My son would ask me to read him books, but how could I, since I don’t know the pronunciation?” said Gonzalez, who lives with her three children on Avenue U in Brooklyn.
“I asked the school to help him. They always said they would, but they did not pay much attention to the problem.” School officials did not have any comment on the situation.
Sometimes, special education is the proper place for an English language learner, and families can be satisfied with their children’s special education placements. Thirty-year-old Angela Morante's two sons were transferred to a special education program at P.S 95 and she feels happy that there have been good results and their reading has improved.
Two months ago, Morante’s youngest son, Victor Manuel Grande, who is seven and is currently in second grade, was transferred to PS 215 from PS 95; the change, however, has been good for the family and the boy.
“The change has been good,” Morante said. “He is doing his homework and has improved in his classes in general. He’s happy with the attention he gets from his teachers.”
The Morante family said that, in general, the special education provided in New York City public schools is a great benefit to their two sons. "The oldest son is also enrolled in the [special education] program at PS 95 and we see good results from both of them."
Jesus Pérez, an academic advisor at the City University of New York and the coordinator of the school’s Task Force on Strengthening Educational Opportunities for Mexicans and Mexican Americans, said that one of the greatest challenges Mexicans face is understanding the U.S. public school system, from early education on through to obtaining professional degrees.
Investigators like Cesar Zúñiga, research director of the Parent-Child Home Program, an international organization that helps parents ensure their children are ready for school, said that there is a disparity between the role schools think parents should play and the role some immigrants see for themselves.
“It’s a cultural question,” Zuniga said. “Mexican parents expect that the school takes care of the children’s education, while the schools expect that the parents get involved. But the Mexican families don’t always understand how the school system works.”
