Abogados de Inmigracion

“Yet, government cannot do this alone. When it comes to programs that are targeted at such vulnerable populations -- many of which face other challenges of poverty, language barriers, immigration status, and unemployment -- we need to partner with the vast third sector of non-profit organizations that are so much a part of civil society in our state. Today I will be talking specifically about how the state can partner with faith-based organizations, but many of the same principles apply to other community-based organizations and non-profits. These organizations are the ones on the ground -- where the rubber meets the road -- and they know how best to serve their communities. “
His comments are typically political and his lavish general praise for the organizations is based on the hard work that they do. In the field of GED, I have noticed the work that has been done first hand, teaching at community based organizations and New York City Housing Authority sites. Although there were accomplishments, I noticed things that were acceptable and fought to change things. I will not reveal the names of the sites, but you can count on the accuracy of what I describe.

In one site the students who were not in GED and placed in pre-GED, those students in the latter were called “Jerry’s (named for Jerry Lewis) kids” by the staff of the organization. I helped students quickly who tested poorly on the entrance exam by retesting the students weeks later and several of them went into the GED class, losing the stigma. In another site, there was no GED component and the students really wanted to do GED instead of alternative high school. I set up the GED component. In another site, I gave everyone the Official Practice Test to everyone while my colleague (the leader) was on leave of absence, resulting in immediate diplomas after some students passed the practice test. In another site, the leader did not correct and grade the Official Practice Tests for weeks. I told the director of the community based organization that I would do the work and the job was done by that afternoon. I helped clear up policies that the administration did not fully understand after decades, resulting in a 16 year old taking and passing the GED and entering Queens College. I noticed that at several of the sites, the teachers were really not getting much help by itinerant supervisors. I provided them information that may have helped them. In my last site, dozens of students were held back by harsh regulations that do not make sense, if our goal is to put more diplomas in the hands of the students. I fought hard and lost. Some of my students left the program, took the test on their own, and earned diplomas, one making up nine points (from 216 to 225) on her failing score without formal instruction.

My conclusion is that the next governor of New York has to take a more careful look at how GED is delivered to the people of our state. New York is below the national average and we are all to blame. The Faith-Based Initiative is critical for GED success among our residents and that initiative has to be integrated with computers, ESL, citizenship, incarcerated men and women who need a diploma, the workforce, and all other applicable social services. This is the big challenge for the next governor. If he cannot improve the lives of several hundred thousand people at least, through the GED, maybe he should try some other profession. Education is usually the number one issue in polls and GED has been neglected for many years. The programs have been modified in New York City by Mayor Bloomberg and we will soon see if the numbers are going up or down and if the increases, if there are any, are the result of changes in the programs. If there has been a decline in the number of diplomas overall, New Yorkers are becoming less competitive. Alaska helps more than four times the number of people in need of a GED than New York, taking into account its smaller population. The next governor of New York must wake up and do the right thing.

MARTIN N. DANENBERG
7 BLAZER DRIVE
ISLANDIA, NY 111749
GEDHOTLINE@AOL.COM
631-348-1341
www.geocities.com/gedhotline
www.ahorre.com/ged
www.ahorre.com/noticas