OAKLAND, Calif. -- English-language learners have the lowest scores on the California High School Exit Exam and the lowest rates of college attendance in the state. Zhuanyi Deng hopes to change all that.

New America Media Education Editor Carolyn Ji Jong reports.

New America Media, News Report, by Carolyn Ji Jong Goossen, Posted: May 28, 2009

OAKLAND, Calif. -- English-language learners have the lowest scores on the California High School Exit Exam and the lowest rates of college attendance in the state. Zhuanyi Deng hopes to change all that.

Deng is part of a group of Cantonese-speaking low-income students who went to high school largely unaware that they had to take a certain set of courses to be eligible to attend the University of California or California State University. They are determined not to let other students meet the same fate.
Zhuanyi Deng and MuTing Cen, members of Asian Immigrant
Women Advocates youth group, work on their speeches.
She is on her way to a lunchtime meeting with the heads of the English Language Learner program at Oakland Technical High School. Deng and fellow youth group member Jessica Chen are presenting a guide they have developed with other Chinese immigrant youth in Oakland to help English-language learners in the district navigate the A-G series of courses necessary for California high school students to be eligible to enter a public four-year college.

As they walk toward the classroom where the meeting will be held, they speak softly...

Unemployment and the long wait lists for preschool are prompting some Chinese parents, whove traditionally valued education, to turn to a new way to teach and care for their toddlers preschool at home. News feature by New America Media reporter NAMs Vivian Po.

By Reporter Vivian Po, New America Media

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif-- Unemployment and the long wait lists for preschool are prompting some Chinese parents, whove traditionally valued education, to turn to a new way to teach and care for their toddlers: preschool at home.

More and more Chinese parents asked to join the playgroup programs. They want to learn the skills to teach their kids at home, said Suzanne Cheung, a former commissioner of San Francisco's First Five child development program.

Playgroups, for children 6 and under, began in the Chinese community to support inexperienced parents. During these sessions, parents participate in lessons with their kids and learn skills to teach and communicate with them. Free playgroup programs are offered by many organizations, such as the Asian Womens Resource Center and the Asian Perinatal Advocate..

Playgroup has now become a place where parents learn child care and teaching skills. We instruct them on how to read to kids, how to engage children in artwork, we help parents build an in-home preschool environment, said Cheung, who designed the curriculum.

As demand for the playgroups has spiked, Cheung now offers classes twice a week, instead of once, doubling the number of...

AALDEF Exit Poll Surveyed over 4,700 Voters in Nine States and 23 Cities During Decisive Midterm Elections

Washington, DCToday, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), a 33-year-old national civil rights organization, released detailed findings from its nonpartisan, multilingual exit poll of more than 4,700 Asian American voters in 23 cities and in nine states on Election Day 2006New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, and Washingtonas well as Washington, D.C. Released during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, AALDEFs exit poll was the largest survey of Asian American voters conducted during the midterm elections last November.

Margaret Fung, AALDEF executive director, said "In the 2006 midterm elections, Asian American voters continued a decade-long shift to support Democratic candidates, which played a role in the dramatic leadership changes in Congress. Elected officials and policymakers should pay close attention to the viewpoints of the fast-growing Asian American community in the 2008 elections."

According to Census data, Asian Americans numbered over 14.4 million nationwide. 38.5% of all Asian Americans were born in the U.S., and 33.7% are foreign-born, naturalized citizens. In AALDEFs November 2006 exit poll, respondents were: Chinese American (38%), South Asian American (27%), Korean American (14%), Southeast Asian American (8%), and Filipino American (7%).

Key findings from AALDEFs exit...

Nationwide Vigils held for Journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee in court June 4 in N. Korea

Vigils for Asian American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee will be held in cities across the U.S. on Wed., June 3.

The two employees of San Francisco-based Current TV - a media venture founded by former Vice President Al Gore - were arrested March 17 near the North Korean border while reporting on refugees living in China.

Both women, allegedly accused by North Korea of crossing into the country illegally from China and committing "hostile acts," will be tried on criminal charges on June 4th.

The organizers of the vigils hope to help influence a positive outcome for Laura and Euna. Supporters are asked to please bring candles to the vigils.

Vigil Locations

New York, N.Y.
Washington Square Park (The Fountain)
6:00 pm 8:00 pm

Washington, D.C.
Freedom Plaz
14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
6:00 pm 8:00 pm

Chicago, Il.
Chinatown Square Plaza
Cermack and Wentworth Streets
7:30 pm 8:30 pm

Birmingham, Al.
Linn Park (tentatively)
223 Carrington Lane
7:00 pm 10:00 pm

Portland, Or.
South Park Blocks
SW Park Avenue from Salmon Street to Jackson Street
6:30 pm 8:00 pm

San Francisco, Ca.
Front Steps of San Francisco City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
6:00 pm 8:00 pm

Santa Monica, Ca.
Wokcano
1413 5th Street
7:00 pm 9:00 pm

Sacramento, CA.
L Wine Lounge & Urban Kitchen / California State Capitol Park
1801 L Street
6:30-8pm

Email Brendan Creamer at This email address is being...

Tsunami Aid Distributed Unevenly Between India's Fishing and Farming Villages

By Ken Moritsugu
December 7, 2005

THARANGAMBADI, India - From fishermen cleaning nets to women sorting fish, the tsunami-hit shoreline of this town in south India bustles with activity. More than 300 fishing boats, brightly painted with the names of donors, blanket the beach.

A mile away, the scene couldn't be more different. Only minimal aid has reached the dusty, almost abandoned village of Pudupalayam. Residents have struggled to eke out a living since salt from the tsunami spoiled the fields where they worked as laborers.

Nearly a year after the tsunami raced across the Indian Ocean, bringing devastation to 13 countries and killing an estimated 225,000 people, international aid agencies have relearned a bitter lesson: Not everyone can be helped equally.

What's happened here also has happened elsewhere: Those who already were relatively well off are doing better with assistance from international donors, while those who were struggling before the tsunami often still are struggling.

Former President Clinton, meeting privately with aid groups last month as the United Nations special envoy for tsunami recovery, underscored the importance of reaching the region's poorest. "A successful reconstruction effort should ensure the protection of vulnerable populations," he was quoted as saying in a U.N. news release.

"The hope is that at the end of it, there's a better infrastructure, there's a more...