Comments on: Race and politics mag says Arabic language school still in trouble

By: clavier arabe

clavier arabe — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:57:06 +0000

this is a sad story. But the larger issue is: with so few academically rigorous, progressive middle schools in Brooklyn, why was so much energy poured into this one? With all due respect to the good intentions of those who founded the school, and the families who would like to expose their children to Arab culture in an intensive way, why was this school founded, when so many children in Brooklyn (and in other boroughs too, no doubt) do not have access to great (or even good) middle schools offering a general education and a curriculum rigorous enough to allow them to consider applying for admission to the selective high schools. I am sad for the children, parents, and faculty who find themselves in a school that’s not what they signed up for, but I am sadder for those children whose middle-school options are appallingly limited to the lackluster choices available in many districts, including District 13, where we live..

By: Carol

Carol — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 15:24:57 +0000

Re the comment from District 13 Mom………Why must we have to choose between other rigorous middle school programs and a dual language Arabic-English school?? We have a very large and significant Arab population particularly in Brooklyn, and in the community where KGIA was first located. Just as we have dual language schools in NYC for all other significant languages — such as Chinese, Spanish, Russian, French, etc., why should we not have one for Arabic? A very large percentage of the world’s population speaks Arabic languages, and we have so few Arabic language speakers in our Military, and other Government agencies, that we have to scramble to find interpreters to conduct the business of our government in any meaningful way. There are many parents who sought out and chose KGIA so that their children would have a good chance at a career in foreign service or other government agencies because they would be able to speak Arabic. The Department of Education, Mayor Bloomberg and Randi Weingarten have behaved so shamefully in their total disregard of the importance of KGIA to the future of this City as well as the parents and children who want to be a part of KGIA’s mission and resources. Many of us responded to President-elect Obama’s naming of Joel Klein as a possible SEcretary of Education with a petition naming all the instances of Klein’s terrible choices re NYC education system, KGIA being one of the most outrageous. Not only did Klein, Bloomberg and Weingarten’s collective behavior smack of outright racism, they destroyed one of the most talented, peace loving educators in this City — Debbie Almontaser. This will not be forgotten if the Mayor decides to run for a third term — which he surely will as he engineered the City Council vote to extend term limits.

By: District 13 mom

District 13 mom — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:47:59 +0000

This is a sad story. But the larger issue is: with so few academically rigorous, progressive middle schools in Brooklyn, why was so much energy poured into this one? With all due respect to the good intentions of those who founded the school, and the families who would like to expose their children to Arab culture in an intensive way, why was this school founded, when so many children in Brooklyn (and in other boroughs too, no doubt) do not have access to great (or even good) middle schools offering a general education and a curriculum rigorous enough to allow them to consider applying for admission to the selective high schools. I am sad for the children, parents, and faculty who find themselves in a school that’s not what they signed up for, but I am sadder for those children whose middle-school options are appallingly limited to the lackluster choices available in many districts, including District 13, where we live.