Georgia Receives $10.6 Million for English Language Education

Atlanta - Governor Sonny Perdue today accepted $10.6 million dollars for English language education from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). The funds were presented by Dr. Maria Hernandez Ferrier, Director of the DOE Office of English Language Acquisition, during the swearing in ceremony for the Latino Commission for a New Georgia. Georgia's population of Hispanic origin is more than four times greater than in 1990 according to the 2000 Census, and the state's population of Asian origin has more than doubled.

"Georgia's diversity is a positive selling point as we work to land the Free Trade Association of the Americas. These funds from the U.S. Department of Education will help strengthen our state's diversity by providing greater assistance for students learning English," said Governor Sonny Perdue. "We must continue reforming and strengthening education in Georgia so that our schools will have the necessary tools in place to meet adequate yearly progress."

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires each state to have testing in grades 3-8 and high school. Schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) - according to the state's baseline and definition of progress - are subject to federally prescribed interventions. The most common interventions are public school choice and tutoring services. NCLB requires the state to disaggregate data into subgroups including English language learners. Each subgroup must also make AYP each year. In order to assist this subgroup, DOE is giving Georgia $10,660,955 for the 2003-2004 school year.

Governor Perdue also swore in the Asian-American Commission for a New Georgia today at the State Capitol during a morning ceremony.