Submitted by Ken, Aug 21, 2007 21:31

I have been a student my entire life, and it is my understanding that the purpose going to school and the educational system this country boasts in general is to learn. And, it is also my understanding that learning involves looking at a subjet that you may not be familier with and attemting to gain knowledge about that subject. On that note I voice my disagreement with the proposal or existance of an Arabic-language public school, or any other public school that is specifically geared towards a specific language or nationality. First and foremost, an alternate language school is doing a tremendous disservice to it's students, in this way, the students learn more from the people around them then the students. In other words if there is a student in an average, English speaking, public school who speaks Arabic, or Spanish, or German, or any other foriegn language, they become surrounded by English speaking students. They make friends, and learn from them, not necissarily out of desire, but out of necissity. If they are surrounded by people that speak thier language it will take more time for them to learn. Secondly, there is a simple and, frankly more cost effictive alternitive. The city of New York knows what groups are most prevolant and where. Therefore it would be amazingly simple to establish, in certain public schools in certain areas different language/culture classes in those areas. For example, suppose the largest non-english speaking group in the P.S 118 area was Arabic. Then P.S 118 should adapt a Arabic language and culture class. In conclusion, seperate language education is, bluntly, a bad, and costly idea that is only doing a disservice to the young people reciving it.

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