Political Quotes

“Today I recognize the Tukwila School District from my home state of Washington and the district's ``New Friends & Families'' program. The Tukwila School District has seen its ethnic diversity grow by more than 1,000 percent in the last seven years. Out of the district's 2,500 pupils, 50% are students of color, 20% are enrolled in bilingual education, and all told, they speak about 30 different languages. To meet the challenge of integrating this immigrant population into the school system and the community, the Tukwila School District, the City of Tukwila, and the local Rotary Club created ``New Friends & Families.'' It is a one-night, once a year program designed to engage these hard-to-reach immigrant and refugee students and their families to make them aware of community services and to encourage parental involvement in their children's education. Clearly, when more than 20% of Tukwila's students are unfamiliar with their new surroundings, they face a serious impediment to quality learning. The ``New Friends & Families'' program has met this challenge head on with local creativity, local initiative, and local resources. This shows that local communities know best how to deal with unique local problems. By teaming up with local government and local businesses, the school district has found innovative ways to turn its challenges into successful education.”