children out of school in america - University of Tennessee Digital ...

think there is enough counseling, especially vocational
counseling. There has never been a Spanishspeaking
student accepted into New Bedford Vocational
High SchooI."81 Others in New Bedford reported
to us that it is very difficult to gain admittance
to the vocational school, especially for students from
non-English-speaking backgrounds. 82
The absence of counseling and other supportive
services was a problem in most of the districts we
visited. This is exacerbated by the lack of personnel
who speak a language other than English. A
Catholic nun who works with non-English-speaking
children in Springfield said that Spanish children in
the area "really need some counseling in Spanish."
She added that because they are usually admitted to
special classes only if they speak some English,
Spanish-speaking handicapped or mentally retarded
children especially suffer. They are generally kept
in regular classes and just keep falling further and
further behind because there is so little help.8s For
example, the Learning Disabilities Center in Springfield
serves few Spanish-speaking children because
it lacks the techniques "to work with them." Consequently,
referrals of these children are discouraged.
Since the Pupil Adjustment Center has no
facilities for counseling in Spanish, Spanish-speaking
children with emotional problems cannot benefit
from the Center's services unless they speak some
English. 84
In Springfield, where ESEA Title I funds an entire
Social and Psychological Services Unit with 20 counselors,
none of them speaks Spanish. 85 At the time
of our visit, there were no bilingual counselors in
Somerville, but "hopefully the school department
will hire one."86
Of the 260 guidance counselors in 1973-74 in the
District of Columbia, none are Spanish-speaking. 87
84 Interview with Katherine Gott, Supervisor and Edward
Burgess, School Psychologist, Learning Disabilities Center,
Homer Street School, Springfield, Massachusetts, 12/10/73.
85 Interview with Dr. William Brady, Director, Social and
Psychological Services Unit, Springfield, Massachusetts,
12/7/73.
86 Interview with Dr. loseph Walsh, Principal, Southern Ir.
High, Somerville, Massachusetts, 1115/73.
87 Interview with Nathaniel Hill, Supervisory Director of
Guidance and Counselling, Washington, D.C., 5/13/74.
88 Interview with George Counter, Supervisor of Elementary
Education, Holyoke, Massachusetts, 12/12/73.
In Holyoke, "a Spanish-speaking kid may have
severe emotional problems or may be mentally retarded,
but we can't place him in a special program
because we don't have a test which could confirm
our suspicions.... We not only don't have the
tests, we don't have a person to interpret the tests,
no Spanish-speaking psychologist. So kids get put
6n a shortened day or get suspended. At the junior
high level they really get in trouble. The bilingual
people tell us to put kids with special problems in
special education; the special education people say
that bilingual education will take care of them. So
kids are falling between 766 [the Special Education
Law], and Bilingual Education, and we know they
are there. "88
New Bedford has one special education class for
bilingual children: an ESL class for eight Portuguese
13 to 16 year olds. For the past three years there
has been a need for three special education classes
for children of limited English-speaking ability.
"Obviously, we need a class for 1Q-13 year olds,"
even though it is difficult to determine genuine re-
75