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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 12/11/2008 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2008 7:00 PM, 125 EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER Office of Housing and Human Services COMMISSION MEMBERS: Cari Maguire (Chair), Pam Spera (Vice Chair), Daniel Abraira, Gerry Beckmann, Marcy Harris, Mohamed Duale, and Kelly Brandon STAFF: Molly Koivumaki, Staff Liaison Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Nelum Madanayake, Adam Liter, and Ummul Kathawalla GUEST SPEAKER: Marcia Beezley—Eden Prairie Schools I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Maguire called the meeting to order at 7:12 pm. Spera, Brandon, and Kathawalla were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Maguire added Item IV.B. Resolution in Honor of Sherry Butcher and Item VII.C. Interfaith Conversations Event—Marcy Harris to the agenda. Updated agenda approved by informal consent. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES November minutes were tabled until the January meeting. IV. NEW BUSINESS B. Resolution in Honor of Sherry Butcher Chair Maguire distributed a preliminary copy of a brief resolution drafted by herself and Koivumaki honoring Council Member Sherry Butcher whose last meeting will be Tuesday, December 16''. The resolution will be part of a 1/2 hour surprise forum beginning at 6:30 pm that evening prior to the start of the City Council meeting. Chair Maguire will present the resolution and invited other commission members to attend. MOTION: Beckmann moved, seconded by Harris, to adopt the resolution. Discussion followed with Harris proposing the following changes: 1) change the two semicolons in the first paragraph to colons; 2) add "the" before"Commission" in the first paragraph; 3)replace"citizens" Human Rights & Diversity Commission Minutes December 11, 2008 Page 2 with"residents" in the last paragraph. Amendments accepted by informal consent. Motion carried 4-0. Liter arrived at 7:18 pm. A. Presentation from Marcia Beezley, Eden Prairie Schools Marcia Beezley, Director of Specialized Programs with Eden Prairie Schools, introduced herself and explained her position is involved in an assortment of areas outside of the general education classroom such as special education for birth through-6th grade, Title I services at the elementary level, coordinating ESL services throughout the district, and homeschooling. Koivumaki said the reason Beezley was asked to attend was because the topic of students being tracked in ESL had been brought before the commission on two separate occasions. As a result, Koivumaki offered to invite Beezley to give the district's perspective on ESL and autism in Somali students. Beezley reported the ESL student population in Eden Prairie has stabilized in the last few years. The number of students (grade K— age 21)receiving direct services ranges from 400-450 and continues to be approximately 55% Somali and 45% other;however, this year most of the new ESL students are not Somali,but rather are from areas such as Portugal, Asia, and South Africa. There currently are not a large number of students in the 18-21 age group, although the number fluctuates every year. Three years ago there were 35 students,but now there are fewer. Abraira arrived at 7:23 pm. Beezley distributed a handout covering ESL services in Eden Prairie for the 2008- 09 academic year. Factors determining which students are identified as needing ESL services are: home language other than English,parent and/or teacher input, and testing to determine English proficiency skills. By law, more than one test must be used to ascertain proficiency. One of them must be a language assessment tool which determines English proficiency in speaking, receptive language, and writing skills. There are multiple assessment tools available—Eden Prairie uses the Language Assessment Scales (LAS) test as well as grade-level checklists. If parents indicate upon registration their child does not speak English or if they received ESL services someplace else before, then they would also be tested. About 5 years ago, a new law was passed stating parents must grant permission annually for their child to participate in ESL. Not many parents decline services,but the district does ask that those requesting to withdraw their children attend a meeting so state test scores can be reviewed and the school can explain to them why they don't think the child is academically ready to leave the program. Beckmann asked what reasons parents give for leaving the program. Beezley said it occurs most often around 5th or 6th grade--the school feels they should remain in the program for another couple of years, but the child has already been in it for several years and is sick of it. Beezley said she couldn't Human Rights & Diversity Commission Minutes December 11, 2008 Page 3 think of a time when the parent of a beginner had requested removal so it's usually at an advanced level,but there are also a handful of requests after first report cards come out. Research shows it takes 4-7 years for a child to learn academic English. They may be able to speak English fine socially or conversationally, sometimes after only a year;however, math and science curriculum have a huge vocabulary of subject-related words. Even if a student has been in ESL all through elementary school, the class rigor is such that it would be beneficial for them to remain in the program. All students have to take Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs). The Test of Early Academic English (TEA) is a No Child Left Behind test that all Minnesota ESL students must take annually. The top two charts on Beezley's handout show progress rates of English skills such as reading and writing and oral English (fluency). The rate of progress for students, regardless of number of years in the program, was significantly higher than the state target. There is a common misperception those born here can pick up English faster. If someone comes to this country at about the 3rd or 4 h grade level already knowing how to read and write in their first language, they will actually learn English and academic English more quickly because they already have the content, it's just being transferred to a new language. If the first chance a child has to learn English is when they begin Kindergarten, they have to learn the content and start transferring the language simultaneously so it isn't easier for them. The students who have the most difficult time are probably junior or senior high students coming from Somalia who have had limited formal schooling. For them it's very tough to ever master enough academic language. The numbers of students in this situation have declined and, in general, the number of immigrants coming to the U.S. has dropped off since 9/11. Now there are more second-generation immigrants (those coming from intermediary locations such as Canada or California) who might be making Minnesota their second stop. The third chart showed MCA math and reading scores significantly below the state target. Beezley admitted the schools definitely need to do a better job of helping kids with math and reading to raise those scores,particularly at the 5th grade level and up. Harris asked if there was any testing comparable to TEA testing available to people for whom English is their native language. Chair Maguire replied although there currently is not, it could be beneficial to have that type of tool for kids who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds or who are illiterate. Duale asked what impact the language spoken at home has in the school's decision to place children in ESL. Beezley reiterated if there is a home language other than English, that student would be flagged as somebody needing to be screened to determine if they need ESL services. During the registration process parents are asked if their child has ever had ESL services; or if they're just arriving from another country, they'd be asked if they even speak English at all. They are not automatically tested if they're born here. Parents will often say they can only speak their native language at home, which is actually encouraged. The schools want the children to have a rich vocabulary. Human Rights & Diversity Commission Minutes December 11, 2008 Page 4 Duale asked Beezley if she thought the preschool screening process was culturally-appropriate explaining kids are sometimes being asked questions to which even the parents don't know the answers. Harris gave a classic example one question might be "What color is milk?" If that question is asked of children who drink powdered milk, the answer would actually be more blue than white, so a lot of low income kids who drink powdered milk would get the answer wrong. Beckmann said another example brought up at a SHISG meeting was preschoolers who were asked to build with blocks. Some parents would say their children had never played with blocks, so they didn't know to stack them or play with them. Beezley said she hoped testers would ask questions such as "Has your child ever used a scissors before?" in these types of cases. Beezley next addressed autism in the Somali population. There are 214 students in the district with an educational diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Only 11 of those are Somali and they are all under 5th grade. The testing used is very subjective. Children will be presented with toys and are observed to see if they involve the tester in interactive play or make eye contact, etc. The district is trying to be culturally responsive in a couple of ways. They videotape sessions which are then shown to the parents. The parents are asked if the behavior they are seeing is normal, especially compared to their other children. They also give the parents checklists. Typically these checklists will ask the same question 5 different ways for validity, but the parents find this confusing so the checklist is altered to ask the question only once. Right now they are not seeing an abnormally high concentration of Somali children with autism. The eleven children receiving services are very severe on a scale of 1 to 10 and tend to have other disabilities such as being cognitively-delayed. Beezley said they may not be picking up on the higher-functioning kids. The district autism specialist attended a workshop in Minneapolis and learned those who immigrate here are often given double sets of shots so Beezley imagines there may be some research into that, even though vaccinations have not been proven to cause autism. Duale concurred mentioning a case he knew of where two adults commented they received a lot of vaccinations when they lived in Kenya--they didn't know what they were and there was no record of them. When they immigrated to the US, they received a lot more vaccinations. This concerned them and when they asked for an explanation, the medical community told them not to worry saying there's no connection between shots and autism. Chair Maguire commented about viewing a movie at the library where a lot of Somali kids were in attendance. There was conversation afterwards, and she was surprised by the misperceptions about ESL and the negative attitudes toward it. The students believe they're being held back by it. They were saying they weren't allowed to take regular math but were forced to take ESL math and then couldn't graduate on time. Beezley hears similar comments, mostly at the high school level. ESL credits are elective credits, and students don't always get the credits they need to graduate. She believes some of these misperceptions occur because there have been cases where students were awarded"gift" grades. For Human Rights & Diversity Commission Minutes December 11, 2008 Page 5 example, there could be a student who doesn't have the language skills they need and doesn't grasp the subject material, but they're well-behaved,have good attendance, and participate in group work so the teacher gives them a"gift" grade of B. A parent of a child receiving a B grade in 7th/8th grade science naturally thinks their child is ready for science at the high school level; unfortunately that gift grade isn't a true match of the student's demonstrated abilities. Beezley is trying to get teachers to give real grades that more accurately reflect actual student performance. Chair Maguire asked if there was a conscious effort to relay that information to families because students are telling their younger siblings never to take ESL classes. Beezley countered while that age group is the most vocal, the majority who have tried regular classes have either returned to ESL or transferred to other schools because they heard they were easier. Several have gone to Ubah Medical Academy, too. There are other avenues for them, but they need to be held to a certain standard. The goal is to get them to graduate. Chair Maguire asked if there is any pairing being done of ESL teachers with content teachers. Beezley said yes and students can get credit for those classes, but those students typically tend to be more advanced. There is also a group of kids so low in English and academic skills they're essentially in ESL classes all day. Beezley reported things have changed in the last three years restating there are parent meetings for kids who wish to withdraw,but nobody is forced to be in ESL. Students can choose to go out on their own and if they want to come back, they can if they still qualify. Harris asked Beezley the total Eden Prairie student population and to explain the discrepancy in progress rates between MCA math/reading scores and the TEA test. Beezley reported there are about 9600 students enrolled in the district. On the TEA test, which measures just English language skills, the students are being compared only to themselves (their own rate of progress). With the MCAs, a much more rigorous test, they are compared to the actual grade level standard of all other students. The challenge they face with No Child Left Behind is the state target will go up each year until it eventually reaches 100% by 2011. An ESL program would not be necessary if all students were proficient. Duale asked if No Child Left Behind was helping. Beezley said she thought it was because since that came about, she has had more people in the district concerned about how they can help ESL students, minorities, and special education students. A lot more resources are now being spent in this area. Chair Maguire didn't think 100% proficiency was a reasonable goal, because there will always be new students coming into the district who need ESL services. District staff is working with a group of parents to help improve math and reading scores. One thing Beezley continually hears from ESL parents is the need for a place for kids to get help with school work. All they have in place now is after- school homework help that's open to everyone, but the reality is not everyone does their homework right after school. Another thing they're looking at that has been very successful at the high school level in math is teachers using Smartboard technology to record themselves demonstrating how to do a problem. The video Human Rights & Diversity Commission Minutes December 11, 2008 Page 6 gets posted to the internet so the students can view it again if they didn't understand it the first time. Beezley relayed a story about a student who still didn't understand because the video was in English, so now they're planning voiceovers in other languages. Chair Maguire asked for information on the Immigrant Resource Center at Forest Hills. Beezley said a group of about 10 Somali parents approached the district requesting a place they could go for adult learning and ESL classes, computers, access to health professionals,parenting help, etc. Due to a lack of resources, all the district could offer them was a space at Forest Hills. This wasn't what the group wanted. The district went back to the drawing board and told the group "This is how much money we have, and we're willing to talk to you again." The possibilities are endless, and right now the idea is so big there are not enough resources to start it. The project may not get off the ground at all. Chair Maguire said the community service technician position was cut to half- time, and one of the reasons that happened was because council members argued it was redundant. Because of this, she encouraged the name of the potential future center to be called something along the lines of"Immigrant Education Center" so it is clear services being received aren't viewed as a duplication of efforts thus triggering a net loss in immigrant services. Beckmann didn't understand who was turning down the center. Beezley clarified it was the Somalis. Koivumaki stated it was unclear how representative that particular group of individuals is of the full Somali community. There has been a lot of collaborative work to try to prevent duplication and to match resources. Talk surrounding the Immigrant Resource Center has caused a lot of confusion about duplication of services and at the last SHISG meeting, it was stated the center would be opening in January. Beezley said as far as she knows, it is not starting at all. She was only invited to about half the meetings herself,but the group was told when they left the last meeting to let the district know if they were still interested; so far they've had no response. Chair Maguire said she didn't know why the commission and district weren't working together on this. Koivumaki said they need to support each other and stay in communication. Beezley conveyed one of the district's concerns was having to relocate ESL classes already being offered. Beckmann said there was a lot of misunderstanding about ESL classes a couple of years ago. She remembers people coming to immigration services with an understanding Eden Prairie had a different set of tests than other districts (for example, tests in Hopkins were thought to be easier). Of course this is not the case, so Beckmann asked if there was some way to get people to understand that. Beezley said this happens mostly at the high school level. She meets with Stephanie Hendrickson from Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE), and they give PowerPoint presentations about ESL(what is it, what it can do for them, how long can they can expect to be in it) to ECFE parents so they are educated about it. Kids don't want to miss out on class, so teachers are trying to pull them out less at the elementary level. The district is constantly reassessing and trying to improve. Every school had at least one immigrant parent meeting in the last Human Rights & Diversity Commission Minutes December 11, 2008 Page 7 year. Parents are coming into the schools much more now than they used to. Chair Maguire thanked Beezley for her presentation. V. REPORTS FROM STAFF A. Human Services Review Committee (HSRC) No report. B. Bias Crime Activity Status No update. C. Other Reports from Staff- Koivumaki Outreach Subcommittee: Mixed Blood Theater sent a press kit containing marketing materials, media releases, bios, and background information for "Daughters of Africa". Koivumaki showed the commission a poster which will be replicated with the date, time, and location of the event. The show will be held Saturday, February 7th, 7-8:30 pm at United Methodist Church in Eden Prairie which is located on Scenic Heights Road just west of the fire station. Communication staff at City Hall is working with the outreach committee and Mary Keating to help distribute posters and information but since Koivumaki just received the kit today, she does not yet have publishing dates. Several members requested posters; Koivumaki will provide copies for everyone on the commission. Chair Maguire mentioned another Mixed Blood Theater event at the same church on February 22nd. Maguire has reserved bulletin board space in the library lobby for January and February. A Martin Luther King board will morph into a Black History Month board which will include event advertising. This is Maguire's final library bulletin board; if anyone wants her bin of related materials, she'll bring it to her last meeting and pass it on. Abraira suggested adding a picture of President-Elect Barack Obama to the board. The church is not charging for set-up, lighting, staff, etc., so those will be considered in-kind donations. BUCA is planning to donate spaghetti and bread, and the City is providing advertising. HRDC has an account balance of$803.77. The subcommittee is requesting up to $700.00 in funds ($625.00 for the cost of the production and $75.00 for miscellaneous expenses) reimbursable via invoices, so the money doesn't come out up front. MOTION: Abraira moved, seconded by Harris, to authorize up to $700.00 from the existing funds to be applied toward the February 7th event. Motion carried 5-0. Former HRDC Commissioner Melissa Barra, who secured the Best Buy grant, will get a special invite to the event. Human Rights & Diversity Commission Minutes December 11, 2008 Page 8 Hennepin County Regionalization Plan: The report was rewritten as a result of the September 12th focus group meeting. It now portrays Eden Prairie a little better in terms of its social services needs from the county. It looks as though Osseo and Richfield are going to be the HUB sites. It is unknown at this time whether or not Eden Prairie will be selected as a satellite,but the hope is that it will. Affordable Housing Opportunity: Hennepin Village is a housing development located roughly between Grace Church and Lion's Tap. The City has 8 affordable units in Hennepin Village, 6 of which have already been built. Two of the units are available for purchase by income-eligible, first-time homebuyers. The City works with West Hennepin Affordable Housing, and they have had difficulty finding interested families. There is an open house on Monday, December 15th between 11 am and 1 pm during which property tours will be conducted. They're hoping to reach the lunch crowd, and the information has been sent to people working at the district and different businesses in the area. Koivumaki encouraged commission members to share this information with anyone they know who is working, can secure a mortgage, and might qualify. Harris requested Koivumaki email the information to her right away for a first-time homebuyer class on Saturday. Duale also requested a copy. Chair Maguire asked about the income requirements. The figures are based on area median income: individual is $42,000, and family of four is $57,000, meaning they cannot make more than those amounts. Koivumaki said they are very nice townhomes with each unit having 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths plus another full bath roughed in, and a 2-car garage. This is a land trust model; the buyer is purchasing the structure and not the lot, so when it's sold it needs to go to another income-eligible person. They do not receive the whole equity of the home,but rather 35% of the equity. She expects the units will go for about$145,000. Beckmann inquired if Best Buy should be recognized on the sponsor's page in the February 7th program. Harris suggested wording along the lines of"made possible through a grant from Best Buy" similar to what is done on public television. Koivumaki mentioned yesterday was the 60th anniversary of the Human Rights International Declaration. VI. OLD BUSINESS None Human Rights & Diversity Commission Minutes December 11, 2008 Page 9 VII. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION MEMBERS A. South Hennepin Immigrant Services Group (SHISG) - Beckmann Nanette Missaghi, Diversity Coordinator for Eden Prairie Schools, gave a presentation on the new Immigrant Resource Center which she has been working on with a group of volunteers. A group of people calling themselves "Somali Parents Group" came forward and requested a number of resources from the district including a meeting place,homework help,parenting classes, adult ESL classes, and information on other programs and help they might desire other than just educational needs. At the time of the SHISG December meeting, it was understood the center was slated to open in January of 2009. Beckmann asked if the school board was aware of these plans, if there was a budget for the center, and the center's proposed location. She was told the school board did know about it and there was a budget,but figures were unavailable at the meeting. The location was unknown at the time. The program is being formed around Somali needs, but any immigrants will be welcome. The district is interested in closing the learning gap, and this will be a way to help achieve that. The program will not be a duplication of other efforts in the schools or community but rather enhance what is already happening. Beckmann inquired if this is different from the new program at Forest Hills. She was told by Missaghi that Forest Hills is a redesign program and is not the same at all; this will be a completely new service the district provides. Koivumaki interjected it was her understanding the program currently in place is a family "resource" program, not a"redesign" program. There was a suggestion the name "Immigrant Resource Center" was misleading and might not draw people to it because it doesn't say anything to indicate education and school help. Missaghi said she would take that back to her committee, as they had not realized the name would have that effect. Beckmann expressed disappointment that SHISG is hearing information from the district about this new center for the first time and only by their invitation for the district to present at its meeting after having heard about it elsewhere. SHISG has been around for many years and is comprised of many agencies including city, school, Hennepin County, Hennepin Technical College, PROP, MN Workforce, and others. One of SHISG's purposes is to collaborate, inform, and be conscious of immigrant problems and barriers in Eden Prairie and to work as a group on such issues. She felt Missaghi was aware of these things since she had attended SHISG meetings in the past. SHISG felt they'd been left out of the process, and Beckmann requested they be kept informed of the project's status. Missaghi apologized. Asad Sane from New American Academy spoke of a citizenship class his 501(c)(3) nonprofit group is starting in Eden Prairie. The class is designed for adults who are interested in learning about the United States citizenship process. The class begins December 21St and will run for 5 Sundays at Preserve Center. Human Rights & Diversity Commission Minutes December 11, 2008 Page 10 Ahmed Jama, a former Somali citizen, several-year resident of Eden Prairie, and community volunteer spoke on behalf of the Somali Parents Group. He talked about the work his group has done on Get out the Vote, the International Festival, the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, and the Immigrant Resource Center. This was his first SHISG meeting; Beckmann invited him to become a regular at future meetings. Volunteers are needed to tutor adult learners of English at Forest Hills Elementary on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Thursday afternoons. Anyone interested should call SHAPE at 952-681-6122. Kindergarten information nights are coming up in January. The presentations will be interpreted in Spanish and Somali; language interpreters will be on hand during these meetings to answer questions and assist parents with the registration process. The remaining time was spent on brainstorming ideas for 2009 SHISG meetings. Beckmann circulated information among the commission members on the citizenship class, tutoring, and kindergarten information nights as well as SHAPE ESL classes. B. Events Committee Update - Beckmann Beckmann had nothing to add to Koivumaki's earlier comments regarding the Mixed Blood Theater event; however, she thanked Commissioner Spera in absentia for submitting human rights quotes, one of which was printed in last week's paper. C. Interfaith Conversations Event—Harris Harris attend an Interfaith Conversations Project event on October 12th called "Abraham's Tent" which centered around people of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faith having a dialogue about hospitality and how it's perceived. She found it to be very interesting and wanted to bring it to the commission's attention despite its participation in a similar program. Pax Christi Catholic Community is the church generally involved,but the activities meet at different locations. She offered to obtain more information for anyone interested. The next event is February 22na Duale was congratulated upon announcing his upcoming move to Savage in January. He stated he has enjoyed his time on the commission and was wished best of luck. Koivumaki stated his position will not be filled in the interim since it is so close to the time when recruitment for new commissioners takes place. Leaving HRDC in April are Chair Maguire and Beckmann. To replace her commission work, Maguire will be starting a program with a non-profit organization called Common Hope. The program will bring teachers to Guatemala to provide teacher training with the eventual goal of participating in an exchange program with immersion schools. Human Rights & Diversity Commission Minutes December 11, 2008 Page 11 VIII. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HRDC meeting will be Thursday, January 8, 2009, 7:00 pm at Eden Prairie Center, Room 125. Harris will be out of town for the next meeting and there's a chance Chair Maguire may be, as well. Duale informed the commission about a series of television shows related to human services on TPT - Channel 2, of which he is a part. He passed around a broadcast schedule of show dates and times. Black History Month February 7, 2009, 7:00 pm—Mixed Blood Theater"Daughters of Africa" production at Eden Prairie United Methodist Church. IX. ADJOURNMENT Chair Maguire adjourned the meeting at 8:45 pm.