Category: News

Armenia of great importance to USA – deputy state secretary

Mediamax news agency
26 Mar 04

YEREVAN

US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said in Yerevan today
that “Armenia is of extremely special importance to the United
States”.

According to Mediamax news agency, Richard Armitage said this during a
news conference in Yerevan today following his talks with Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan.

“By this visit we would like to highlight our interest in the South
Caucasus and in Armenia’s very important role for the United States,”
the American diplomat said, expressing the hope that the political
dialogue with Yerevan will be stepped up.

Richard Armitage also said that he discussed global issues of
international politics and regional problems with the Armenian
president and foreign minister.

A1 Plus | 18:00:03 | 26-03-2004 | Politics |

VAZGEN MANUKYAN SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE

But it doesn’t mean the current president will remain in office, he said. At
the same time, he said he didn’t think “a bad president will be replaced
with a good one”.

He is stuck to the idea that an interim president is needed. The interim
leadership should include both pro-governmental and opposition-leaning
forces.

Substantial changes should be made in the Constitution, Manukyan said.

Asked doesn’t he fear Kocharyan can stir up war in Karabakh to retain power,
the Democratic Union leader answered: “I’m far from the idea of calling our
authorities traitors”.

Answering the question journalists put to him about possible oppression of
opposition activists, Manukyan said oppression has always been and will be.

—

A1 Plus | 21:48:59 | 26-03-2004 | Politics |

RULING COALITION RELEASED STATEMENT

Ruling coalition parties have eventually handed down their long-awaited
statement.

Calls inciting people to civil unrest is being heard in the republic in
recent months. Those making them are pointing their fingers at some
outstanding problems and trying to oust the current authorities, the
statement says.

The coalition members have never denied the fact that there are many
troubles – mostly social – they don’t distance themselves from these
problems and have collective sense of commitment toward people. That’s why
the coalition parties find it important to state that in the wake of
parliamentary elections after scrutinizing the situation in the country they
adopted stance of comprehensive approach to the problems. A number of
feasible programs have been worked out to ensure the country development.
The coalition is convinced it will solve the problems. 2004 will be crucial
year for fulfillment of promises given in the course of election campaign,
the statement says.

Authorities are being formed in due time as a result of election, not
between elections. Any attempt to involve the country in early elections can
jeopardize security of our republic that faces many challenges.

Political forces united in coalition intend to achieve the goals specified
in their memorandum such as improving lives of thousands of peoples, halving
poverty and rooting out corruption.

The coalition is sure that its program implementation will lead to visible
progress. At the same time, all attempts to violate the Constitution must be
prevented by law enforcement bodies, the statement says.

—

The Moscow Times
Friday, Mar. 26, 2004. Page 1

Selling the House Where Tolstoy Lived

By Kevin O’Flynn
Staff Writer

Mike Solovyanov / MT

Two of Alexei Tolstoy’s writing desks, standing as they did in his study at
2 Ulitsa Spiridonovka, where he lived from 1941 to 1945.

The museum dedicated to Alexei Tolstoy, one of the Soviet Union’s most
famous writers and a distant relative of 19th-century novelist Leo Tolstoy,
came under threat Thursday as it was discovered that the house in which it
stands, one of Moscow’s finest art nouveau buildings, has been sold to a
construction company.

Occupying the rooms at 2 Ulitsa Spiridonovka in the heart of old Moscow,
where Tolstoy lived from 1941 until his death four years later, the museum
is in the grounds of Ryabushinsky House, the home of the more well-known
Gorky Museum.

The house, named after Stepan Ryabushinsky, a rich merchant who fled Russia
after the 1917 revolution, is in one of Moscow’s most prestigious locations,
between Pushkin Square and Stary Arbat.

Turning up for work Thursday, museum workers were shocked to read a letter
telling them the museum was no longer responsible for paying its communal
bills.

Quite to the workers’ surprise, it turned out that the building had been
sold to construction company Evro- Stroi on Dec. 30.

Evro-Stroi’s general director, who would only identify himself by his last
name, Simonyan, said the building’s previous owner, a charitable fund called
The Society for the Support of the Arts, had bought the building from the
Moscow city government.

The museum and its supporters have decried the deal, saying that it is
illegal and simply a real estate grab.

But Simonyan said the sale was legal and that Evro-Stroi had no plans to
harm the museum. It just wanted to carry out some repairs and use part of
the building as an office, he said.

“Have you seen the ceiling, the walls, the roof?” he said. “They are in
complete disrepair.”

But Simonyan also said the museum did not need the 300-plus square meters it
now occupies, as Tolstoy’s apartment was only 80 square meters when he lived
there.

“We appreciate culture,” he said.

The State Literature Museum, which is in charge of the Tolstoy museum,
called the purchase “criminal,” saying it would fight the purchase in the
courts. The Moscow city government has set up a commission to examine how
the building was sold.

Mike Solovyanov / MT

The entrance to the Tolstoy museum is around the corner from Ulitsa
Spiridonovka, in part of what was the Ryabushinsky estate.

Museum workers were in shock Thursday as the news spread through the city’s
literary community, fielding phone calls and visits from outraged Muscovites
coming to show support.

“Everyone is worried,” said museum director Inna Andreyeva, who has worked
at the museum since it opened in 1987.

Alexei Tolstoy came to live on Spiridonovka after he became one of the
Soviet Union’s establishment writers under Stalin. He had left Russia after
the 1917 Revolution, but returned in 1923.

Tolstoy’s serious novels, such as “Peter I” and “The Road to Calvary,” are
less read now. But his children’s novels, particularly “The Adventures of
Buratino,” a Russian version of the Pinocchio tale, remain very popular.

Tolstoy’s reputation dimmed in recent years, amid accusations that he was an
apologist for Stalin’s regime. But the family’s literary tradition has been
continued by his granddaughter, Tatyana Tolstaya, also a novelist.

Tolstoy’s wife lived on in the house until her death in 1982, keeping it
much as it was when the writer died, complete with its valuable collection
of paintings and antique furniture intact.

In the museum, Tolstoy’s study has his writing desks kept as they were. The
writer always used all four desks when working, switching from one to
another as he researched his stories, typed them up on a classic Underwood
typewriter, and checked his manuscripts.

The museum also has a small but valuable art collection, including a work by
Karl Bryullov, the artist most famous for his “Last Day of Pompeii,” which
hangs in the Russian Museum.

The building is not just important as a museum, but “as a cultural center
which is alive,” Andreyeva said, listing the concerts, lectures and other
events that take place at the museum, such as the concert of chamber music
and reading of Spanish poetry in translation planned for Sunday evening.

Mike
Solovyanov / MT

Since opening in 1987, the museum has hosted many literary and musical
events.

The museum is in a corner of Moscow that is very special for Russian
writers, Andreyeva said, pointing out Maxim Gorky’s house next door and the
church a few meters away where Alexander Pushkin got married.

Other famous literary residents nearby included Alexander Blok, who lived on
the street when he first came to Moscow, and Ivan Bunin, who used to stay up
all night playing cards at his friends’ a bit further down the road.

In another part of the grounds, nearer to Malaya Nikitskaya Ulitsa, is the
Gorky apartment museum, where Gorky lived from 1931 until his death in
mysterious circumstances in 1936.

Reactions Thursday to the sale from the literary community ranged from anger
to resignation.

“Some con merchants, some bandits bought the building behind our backs,”
said Natalya Shakhalova, the director of the State Literature Museum.

As a national culture and architecture monument, it cannot be sold without
the permission of the federal government, she said.

Other museum workers, including the worried head of the Chekhov apartment
museum, phoned during the day to offer their solidarity.

And despite the assurances of the new landlord, museum workers and many
Muscovites fear for the fate of the building and the museum. Hundreds of
historical buildings, many supposedly protected by the state, have been
knocked down over the last decade.

One customer brought three flowers, saying that she hoped that it wouldn’t
be two the next time. Russians give an even number of flowers only at
funerals.

“It shows that the people in charge of Moscow couldn’t care less. Look what
they have done to Moscow,” said one visitor, trying out the antique
Chippendale wooden chair in the staff room at the museum, who did not want
to give his name. “They have destroyed the Arbat, Ostozhenka and
Prechistenka. Now they’ve gotten to Spiridonovka.”

But Evro-Stroi insists it has no plans to do any work on the building this
year.

Kommersant quoted the head of the commission investigating the sale,
Vladimir Avekov, as saying that it was unclear which part of building had
been sold. He said he believed the sale affected 450 square meters out of
the building’s total area of 800 square meters.

Avekov said the charity that bought the building first had been founded in
1999, and that one of its backers was the State Literature Museum.

“It seems as if they sold it to themselves,” the paper reported Avekov as
saying.

But Shakhalova denied Thursday that the State Literature Museum was a
founder of the fund.

Baku Today
March 26 2004

Richard Armitage visiting Azerbaijan

U.S. Deputy State Secretary Richard Armitage is visiting Azerbaijan
today and tomorrow.
Armitage will consider the issues of anti- terror partnership, energy
issues and the reforms in political and economic spheres during his
visit to Azerbaijan, according to Azertaj News Agency.
Armitage and Azeri president Ilham Aliyev will focus on Karabakh
issue during their meeting, the agency said.

The senior U.S. official Armitage has been traveling Ukraine and
Armenia since March 24, 2004.

His visits to Ukraine, Armenia and Azerbaijan intend discussing
broader prospects of current relations with the three countries.

Armenian president, party leaders discuss government’s activities

Arminfo
24 Mar 04

YEREVAN

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and the leaders of the member
parties of the ruling political coalition discussed mechanisms of
increasing the effectiveness of the legislative activities of the
Armenian government and National Assembly during a working meeting
today.

The press service of the Armenian president told Arminfo news agency
that the participants in the meeting noted the importance of
discussing the draft laws envisaged in the government’s work schedule
for 2004. The leaders of the parties made their remarks on and spoke
about their impressions of visits to the regions of the republic and
meetings with citizens.

The interlocutors stressed the need to continue and improve such
events.

Malta Independent, Malta
March 26 2004

Backing pluralism and diversity in the media

Staff Reporter

Pluralism and diversity of media are a basic element of democracy.
That is why the European Bishops Media committee, CEEM , meeting in
Rome on 12 and 13 March, was happy to endorse the Recommendation
adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,
concerning public radio and television broadcasting.

We need `a strong and vibrant independent public broadcasting
service’ in Europe, at the service of cultural diversity, social
cohesion and citizenship. This public radio and television service is
`typically universal in terms of content and access’. It responds to
the needs of the various social groups, including religious
communities.

While hoping for coexistence and complementarity of the public sector
with commercial media, we should like to reaffirm that the media
should not have a merely commercial logic: public broadcasting and
associative media need to be given the place they deserve.

Public service broadcasting

1. Public service broadcasting, a vital element of democracy in
Europe, is under threat. It is challenged by political and economic
interests, by increasing competition from commercial media, by media
concentrations and by financial difficulties. It is also faced with
the challenge of adapting to globalisation and the new technologies.

2. Public service broadcasting, whether run by public organisations
or privately-owned companies, differs from broadcasting for purely
commercial or political reasons because of its specific remit, which
is essentially to operate independently of those holding economic and
political power. It provides the whole of society with information,
culture, education and entertainment; it enhances social, political
and cultural citizenship and promotes social cohesion. To that end,
it is typically universal in terms of content and access; it
guarantees editorial independence and impartiality; it provides a
benchmark of quality; it offers a variety of programmes and services
catering for the needs of all groups in society and it is publicly
accountable. These principles apply, whatever changes may have to be
introduced to meet the requirements of the twenty-first century.

3. It is a matter of concern that many European countries have so far
failed to meet the commitment that their governments undertook, at
the 4th European Ministerial Conference on Mass Media Policy held in
Prague in 1994, to maintain and develop a strong public broadcasting
system. It is also worrying that the fundamental principle of the
independence of public service broadcasting contained in
Recommendation No. R (96) 10 of the Committee of Ministers is still
not firmly established in a number of member states. Moreover,
governments across the continent are in the process of reorienting
their media policies in the light of the development of digital
technology and are in danger of leaving public service broadcasting
without enough support.

4. Public service broadcasting was born in western Europe and has
evolved by adapting itself naturally to the needs of a mature
democracy. In central and eastern Europe it is not yet socially
embedded, since it was `transplanted’ into an environment that lacked
the necessary political and management culture, and in which civil
society is still weak, has inadequate resources and little dedication
to public service values.

5. The situation varies across Europe. At one extreme national
broadcasting continues to be under strict governmental control and
there is little prospect of introducing public service broadcasting
by legislation in the foreseeable future. In the Russian Federation,
for instance, the lack of independent public service broadcasting was
a major contributing factor to the absence of balanced political
debate in the lead-up to the recent parliamentary elections, as
mentioned by the international election observation mission. Hardly
any progress has been made in adopting the necessary public service
broadcasting legislation that might meet Council of Europe standards
in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine.

6. In Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Kosovo public service
broadcasting still only operates under regulations imposed from
outside by the international community. Adoption of a proper law has
been delayed in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a result of internal
resistance to structural change and in Kosovo because of attempts to
undermine the funding of public service broadcasting.

7. In other countries laws on public service broadcasting have been
adopted, but certain provisions and practices contradict European
standards. In Armenia all the members of the Council for Public Radio
and Television are appointed by the President. It remains to be seen
whether the day-to-day operation of TeleRadio Moldova will be able to
be independent after two changes made to the law in 2003. The
appointment of a Serbian broadcasting agency has been marred by
scandals that have yet to be resolved.

8. More substantial progress has been made in other countries,
although problems still remain. Changes to broadcasting laws, making
broadcasting corporations more politically independent and
financially viable, have been recommended by the Council of Europe in
Bulgaria and `the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’. There are
still attempts to change laws in order to make them more suitable for
a ruling majority, as with the new Croatian Law on Radio and
Television. Severe financial difficulties are experienced with public
service broadcasting in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.

9. There is political pressure on public service broadcasting in
western Europe too. The BBC was attacked by the British Government
over its coverage of the war in Iraq. In Greece, Italy, Portugal and
Spain, situations variously defined as `political clientelism’,
`state paternalism’ and `partitocrazia’ have prevented the full
emancipation of public service broadcasters from direct, `hands-on’
political control. Manipulation of information under political
influence led to the unprecedented sentencing of TVE for its coverage
of the general strike in Spain in June 2002. The politicisation of
RAI caused by a unique division of the three Italian channels between
the main political parties has been further aggravated by the current
government.

10. There is a growing tendency to go beyond hitherto existing forms
of public service broadcasting regulation and define its obligations
more precisely, often by contracts backed up by accountability
reports to the parliament, the government and/or a regulatory agency.
Increasing attention is paid to the financial aspects of the
operation of the public service broadcaster. While such moves are to
be welcomed in so far as they give public service broadcasting
organisations greater stability, it should be ensured that they are
not used by governments to undermine the financial and statutory
situation of these organisations. Recent government decisions in the
Netherlands and France have seriously affected the funding of their
public service broadcasters.

11. Governments have been examining possible structural changes that
would affect the very nature of public service broadcasting.
Privatisation plans have been discussed in Denmark and Portugal, and
in Italy with the recently proposed broadcasting legislation (the
`Gasparri Law’), which has since then been referred back to
Parliament by the President. In the United Kingdom, there is growing
concern at the government’s attitude to the renewal of the charter of
the BBC, fuelled by the very public row between the corporation and
the government.

12. In a large majority of countries, digital channels have not yet
been defined in broadcasting legislation. There is also a clear
absence of legal provisions concerning Internet activities by public
service broadcasters in most countries. This might affect their
ability to expand to new platforms.

13. The coexistence of public and commercial media has largely
contributed to innovating and diversifying the supply of content and
has had a positive impact on quality. However, commercial interests
are trying to reduce competition from the public sector to a minimum.
European Union competition law is often used to attack the funding
systems for public service broadcasting. In this respect, the
Assembly welcomes the judgment of the European Court of Justice in
the Altmark case, regarding compensation for discharging public
service obligations, and urges that the situation concerning public
service broadcasting be further clarified on the basis of this
judgment. Commercial broadcasters also challenge the possibility of
public service broadcasting expanding into new areas and new
services. Recent examples include the BBC’s Internet activities and
the plans of the German ARD to turn the Internet into its `third
pillar’, which had to be abandoned under commercial pressure.

14. Commercial broadcasters also claim that the shift to the
multi-channel, on-demand broadcasting offered by digitalisation will
enable the market to cater for all needs and therefore also fulfil
the public service obligations currently assigned to public
broadcasting institutions. However, there is no guarantee about the
quality and independence of such provision, or that it would be
free-to-air, universally accessible and constant over time.

15. It is recognised that there can be an overlap with commercial
broadcasting in popular genres. However, the growing
commercialisation and concentration of the media sector with the
resulting `dumbing-down’ of general quality vindicates, when this
concerns public service broadcasters, those who criticise the use of
public money for such purposes. Public service broadcasting is
suffering an identity crisis, as it is in many instances striving to
combine its public service obligations with chasing ratings and the
need to secure an audience to justify its `public’ character or
simply to attract advertising revenue.

16. European countries and the international community in general
must become more actively involved in efforts to develop general
standards and good practice as guidelines for national policies in
this area.

17. Therefore the Parliamentary Assembly recommends that the
Committee of Ministers:

i. adopt a new major policy document on public service broadcasting,
taking stock of developments since the Prague ministerial conference
and defining standards and mechanisms of accountability for future
public service broadcasting. The forthcoming Ministerial Conference
on Mass Media Policy in Kyiv could include the preparation of such a
document in its plan of action;

ii. mobilise the relevant structures of the Council of Europe to
ensure proper and transparent monitoring, assistance and, where
necessary, pressure, so that member states undertake the appropriate
legislative, political and practical measures in support of public
service broadcasting;

iii. consider specific measures to ensure that a legislation in this
area in line with European standards is adopted as soon as possible
in Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Russian Federation and Ukraine;

iv. ensure close co-operation with other international organisations
in maintaining its standards regarding freedom of expression;

v. continue to press for audiovisual services to be regarded as more
than simply a commodity in the negotiations of the World Trade
Organization (WTO) and the General Agreement on Trade in Services
(GATS);

vi. endeavour to ensure that the World Summit on the Information
Society gives proper recognition to public service broadcasting as an
important element in developing the information society and at the
same time easing the shock of the rapid changes this development will
involve;

vii. call on the governments of member states to:

a. reaffirm their commitment to maintaining a strong and vibrant
independent public broadcasting service, whilst adapting it to the
requirements of the digital age, for instance, on the occasion of the
next European Ministerial Conference on Mass Media Policy in 2004,
taking concrete steps to implement this policy objective and refrain
from any interference with the editorial independence and
institutional autonomy of public service broadcasters;

b. define an appropriate legal, institutional and financial framework
for the functioning of public service broadcasting and its adaptation
and modernisation to suit the needs of the audience and the
requirements of the digital era;

c. design education and training programmes, adapted to the digital
media environment, for journalists.

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
March 26 2004

Mending discord between students

Community leaders and pupils say relations have improved, but more
can be done

By Gary Moskowitz, News-Press

GLENDALE – Differences among local youth – be it racial,
socioeconomic or just simple misunderstand- ings – have led to
tragedy in Glendale.

On May 5, 2000, Hoover High School student Raul Aguirre was stabbed
to death across the street from his school in what police believe was
a gang-related incident. Aguirre was not a gang member. The man
accused of stabbing Aguirre is Armenian American.

A group called We Care for Youth, which formed in 1992 to work toward
stopping youth violence in the community, offered Hoover High
students grief support after the incident.

Group co-founder Jose Quintanar said representatives from the local
schools, city, Glendale Community College and the community held
forums in the late 1980s and early ’90s, during which people would
meet in each other’s homes to discuss ways to improve relations. He
would like to bring the forums back.

“I think what [co-founder Linda Maxwell] and I face much too often is
whatever is going on at the home gets brought to school,” Quintanar
said. “The community needs to really start looking at their own
issues. We see how kids’ ideas of the community are formed at the
dinner table or in front of the TV when the family is together.

“I don’t think there are many students around who have the personal
experience of [the Aguirre incident]. But many remember, and it comes
up from time to time from kids who were in middle school at the time.
And they were deeply affected by it. Something like that has got to
scar you.

“I think [Aguirre’s death] brought people together, but it wasn’t
sustaining. Soon after, the emotion of it wore off, and we became
complacent,” Quintanar said.

“Could it happen again? I hope not. But are the conditions present?
Yes. Ignorance and fear of other people, and not knowing people,
exists. This is a large city now, and it’s harder to know people.”

In recent years, Hoover students created a Unity Garden and a
Friendship Garden on campus as a way of promoting peace and unity in
the Glendale community. Events like Aguirre’s death and the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11 prompted students to create the gardens.

Hoover High senior Jessica Luevano said it is usually teachers who
bring up the Aguirre incident, not students. Teachers might mention
it in class when something new happens in the Aguirre case, Jessica
said. The case is awaiting a second trial after a Nov. 7 mistrial.

“If anything, I think it kind of brought us all closer together,”
said Jessica, 17. “There are bad people in every culture. I think
most of the fights we see here are among kids within the same race.”

Daily High School Principal Gail Rosental said that although some
parents tell her they perceive Daily – the district’s continuation
high school for students who are at risk of not graduating on
schedule – as the school for “bad kids,” she has few issues with race
and culture among students on campus. Students come to Daily from all
of the district’s comprehensive high schools.

“Because we are so small, nobody is invisible here, and we don’t have
the same kinds of problems the huge schools have,” Rosental said. “We
tend not to have intercultural tensions. When we do have tensions,
it’s rare, and it’s usually not rooted in ethnic problems.

“It’s usually more of a ‘You were talking to my girlfriend’ or ‘You
said something about me to somebody’ kind of thing. If anything, it’s
two people who used to be friends, and it’s social and personal.”

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
March 26 2004

GUSD rejects longer break

School board drops three-week winter holiday idea from 2004-05 school
year calendar proposals.

By Gary Moskowitz, News-Press

NORTHEAST GLENDALE – A surge of disapproval from local parents about
a proposed three-week winter break has encouraged Glendale school
board members to drop the idea.

The school board submitted two 2004-05 school year calendar proposals
to the Glendale Teachers Assn. for consideration, and neither
includes a three-week winter break.

A three-week winter break would have included the Jan. 6 Armenian
Christmas. About 35% of the district’s 29,200 students – more than
10,000 students – are of Armenian descent, and most of them do not
attend school Jan. 6, officials said.

Since the Glendale Unified School District earns about $25 per
student per day in state Average Daily Attendance funds, the district
lost more than $250,000 on Jan. 6 because so many students did not
show up for class.

Several parents, during recent board meetings, said they were
“disappointed” and “dismayed” because the board did not consult with
parents’ groups about extending the winter break and shortening the
summer one.

“The feedback I’ve received, from about 160 people who have been
e-mailing me, is that they didn’t like that proposal,” board
President Pam Ellis said. “I don’t think they liked their children
going to school longer because they wanted longer summer vacations. I
think we need to move on this because people need to make their
plans. [The proposal] seemed to be too close to a sacred thing.

“If I could wave my magic wand, we would start after Labor Day next
year, but it would be my wish that over the next several years we
start in August, so students can finish the semester before winter
break. One of the problems people have is that kids come back from a
break and go right into final exams,” Ellis said.

Both calendar proposals submitted by the board include giving all
students and employees the day off Jan. 6.

Both proposals also include giving students the day before
Thanksgiving off, which the district’s current calendar does not
include. Students always get the day after Thanksgiving off, and the
proposals would continue that.

Students would make up for the extra days off either at the beginning
or the end of the school year, officials said.

The difference between the two proposals is the school year start
date. One proposal is to start the year before Labor Day, and the
other is to start school after the holiday. The district started the
2003-04 school year on a scattered schedule Tuesday and Wednesday
after Labor Day. The district opened the year on two days because of
teacher training sessions that could not be rescheduled.

School board members are expected to vote on the calendar at
Tuesday’s board meeting, which will begin at 3:30 p.m. at district
headquarters, 223 N. Jackson St. The teachers’ union plans to vote to
approve the calendar sometime in April.

The board and the union need to vote to approve the school year
calendar.

A survey of teachers in the union showed that about 63% were in favor
of starting after Labor Day, and about 37% were in favor of starting
before, said Sandy Fink, the union’s president.

“Academically, it’s better for kids to start earlier so they have
more time to prepare for exams,” Fink said. “Some parents were
concerned about their kids coming to school in August at schools
without air conditioning. It’s hard for kids to concentrate when it’s
110 degrees and there is no air conditioning. I think teachers would
prefer taking exams before winter, that way kids can be done and
enjoy their vacation. We basically have decided to keep the calendar
about the same next year, and we’ll have to revisit this again.”

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
March 26 2004

THE LANGUAGE OF LEARNING
Breaking down barriers

Bilingual students often help bridge the communication gap
English-language learners might have.

By Gary Moskowitz, News-Press

GLENDALE – That Sona Markaryan speaks English and Armenian fluently
makes her, and students like her, an asset in many Glendale Unified
School District classrooms.

Nearly 40% of the students enrolled in the district speak a primary
language other than English, and nearly all of those students are
enrolled in the district’s English Language Development program.

English-language learners typically receive about two hours per day
of specialized instruction in reading, speaking and writing. The rest
of the day, they sit in classes with proficient English speakers.

With more than 35 students in some high school classrooms, bilingual
students can prevent the more limited English speakers from getting
completely lost during class discussions, said Sona, a senior at
Glendale High School and student member of the district’s Board of
Education.

“I think [bilingual students] step in a lot and help, without being
asked to,” said Sona, 17. “It’s just common sense. It’s like a human
thing to do. You can sense that [the English learners] need help.

“I was born in Armenia, and came here when I was 4, so I never had
trouble with the language. But kids who come here when they are older
can get confused when the teacher explains things. Lots of times, I
will explain things in Armenian, and then go back and say the same
thing in English, to tie it together,” Sona said.

PEER ASSISTANCE IS WELCOME

Edison Elementary School Principal Linda Conover said bilingual or
multilingual students helping English learners keep up in class
happens naturally, without teachers having to ask for it.

“It happens without us even knowing, sometimes,” Conover said.
“Sometimes we formally assign students to help other students, but
many times it’s informal, and students come together and help each
other. Many of them are very compassionate and very empathetic.
There’s a lot of commonality and camaraderie.

“What students do mostly is help with translating, but it’s not a
formal English-language lesson. They let them know what’s going on,
and it’s extremely successful. The [bilingual student] becomes
someone they can identify with and communicate with. It bridges a
gap,” Conover said.

FLUENT BY GRADUATION DAY

All English learners in the program must pass five levels of English
Language Development classes to be considered fluent. To graduate,
they need to pass through the five levels of proficiency in addition
to normal graduation requirements in all subject areas, said Mary
McKee, an assistant superintendent for educational services for the
district.

Students who do not meet those requirements have a few options. They
can stay on an extra year as “Super Seniors,” take extra English
classes at Glendale Community College or pursue their General
Educational Development degree, which is equivalent to a high school
diploma.

By law, the district is only responsible for students through the age
of 18, but if a student is showing promise and is cooperating, the
district can make exceptions, McKee said.

“It is not easy,” McKee said. “They have to work very hard. If they
come in as a 10th-grader, it’s hard. As a junior or senior, it’s
almost impossible. We can’t do four years of instruction in one or
two years. Keep in mind that these kids are then going into math
classes and history classes while still trying to learn words in
English.

“We have to support them with translations where necessary and enough
modeling and examples so that they understand the concepts that are
being taught. In teaching the meaning of ‘democracy,’ just
translating is not enough. We have to make enough relevant
connections, and you just can’t just say it once,” McKee continued.

“Teachers try to make connections to what students are already
familiar with. They connect by understanding what it’s not, or what
it’s different from.”

READY TO GRADUATE

Crescenta Valley High School senior Mary Paik entered the English
Language Development program as a sophomore after moving here from
Korea. She spoke very little English.

She recently finished the program and is now considered a fluent
English speaker by state standards. Her parents speak Korean at home,
but Mary mostly speaks English with her younger brother, Howard, who
is a sophomore at her school. Mary will graduate this summer.

After two years in the ELD program, Mary said that, overall, she is
glad she took the English learner classes but sometimes felt like her
time was being wasted.

“I liked the classes, because they helped me a lot with my grammar,
writing and listening, and taught me about the culture of America,”
said Mary, 17. “I think if classes were shortened a little bit, it
might be better, so you could take other classes you want to take.
It’s not hard to understand if you study at home.

“I think sometimes teachers think your intelligence is lower than it
is, and that hurts. Once, a teacher asked us to color pictures, and I
felt like I was in elementary school,” Mary said.