Performance Standards by School

Photo: Central Falls School District of Rhode Island

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The Central Falls School District of Rhode Island has been in the news of late. The local school board recently fired its entire high school staff and faculty due to low performance on national tests by its students. While this has made the national conversation over performance standards, what has often been overlooked is that Rhode Island’s Central Falls High School is overwhelmingly Latino and largely immigrant. Latino USA’s Maria Hinojosa speaks with WRNI Education Reporter Elizabeth Harrison and New York University Education Professor Mario Suarez-Orozco.

Also, we’ll examine the rhythmic harmonies of composer and drummer Dafnis Pieto.

Recovering From Disasters

Photo: savethedave on Flickr

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Dual themes run through this week’s program: how people cope with the unthinkable and begin to rebuild, and the place immigrants have in our society. The two themes converge in the story of José Gaviria, a Colombian living in New York who responded to the call for help in cleaning up after the attack on the World Trade Center in September, 2001. José is undocumented, and that fact is complicating his and other 9/11 workers’ attempts to get medical care in the aftermath of the cleanup. Also: an update on the earthquake in Chile; Maria’s thoughts 15 years after the Beijing Women’s Conference; and the massively-cool bilingual songs of Pacha Massive.

American Dreamer (part 4)

Photo: Sam

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Each year tens of thousands of undocumented students, most of them brought to the U.S. as small children by their immigrant parents, graduate from high school. Despite being raised in American culture, these students cannot legally work because of their immigration status. And most cannot go to college, prompting cries for congressional passage of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors or DREAM Act.

Latino USA in conjunction with Long Haul Productions, brings us part four of the story of one of those recent graduates. Producers Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister drove Sam to New York to be on an education panel sponsored by The College Board. Sam’s Story is titled “American Dreamer.”