Some 30,000 Spanish-language textbooks arrived for use by the Denver Public Schools from Mexico October 3. According to the October 4 Denver Post, the books include library materials such as atlases, texts for grades 1 through 6 in math, Spanish, and science, as well as books children can take home and read with parents.
The books were published by the Mexican government for use throughout Mexico and have been sent to the DPS for four years, but this shipment was a marked increase from previous years, district officials told the Post. The allocation is part of Mexican President Vicente Fox’s efforts to provide services to Mexicans living abroad.
Lupe Martinez de Leece, who helps administer reading programs at three Denver schools, told the Post that the books were “very reputable” and said she was excited about receiving them. “What we find in the United States is mostly translated stories, which takes away the richness of the culture in the story,” she said.
Even critics of bilingual education like Rita Montero, head of the Colorado branch of English for the Children, a California-based group trying to ban the use of languages other than English in classrooms, said the books were helpful. “I don’t care if they’re reading English books or Spanish books, as long as they’re reading,” Montero told the Post.
Posted October 8, 2001.