Donation of Spanish Books

I read “Mexico Donates Spanish Texts to School Libraries” (May 4) with complete astonishment. Why is the Mexican government sending Spanish-language textbooks to the LAUSD? Reasons given in the article are suspicious. Why does any aspect of Mexican culture need to be “reinforced” in the United States? Since when do immigrant Spanish-speaking Mexican children in Los Angeles County need an orchestrated link to Mexican culture? Is there a hidden agenda here?

Seems to me the intelligent thing to do is for the consul general to keep those Spanish-language textbooks in Mexico to educate Mexican children in their native language. From all appearances and the rate of illiteracy in Mexico, those books are desperately needed there. What children need in Los Angeles County is access to English-language textbooks and experience in American culture using the English language. If people are willing to risk their lives to come to this country, for whatever possible gains--legally or illegally--once they get here, why do they want to act like they are still in Mexico (or for that matter any other foreign country)?

PASCAL BEHR

Studio City

*

Three recent Times stories focusing on three elementary schools are instructive. May 4: At Corona Avenue School, LAUSD Supt. Ramon Cortines receives Spanish-language textbooks from the Mexican government “in an effort to reinforce its language, history and culture north of the border.” May 1: A teacher at Middleton Street School in LAUSD complains that schools can’t be expected to do much with poverty-level students. April 30: At Payne Elementary School in Inglewood, the focus is on success and learning English.

These three schools are closely matched in socioeconomic terms--very high Hispanic percentages, low parent education levels, etc.--and should have API scores within about 50 points of one another. The actual scores: Corona, 440; Middleton, 379; Payne, 706. One wonders how many parents at Corona and Middleton wish they had vouchers so they could send their children to Payne, and how many teachers at Corona and Middleton wish they could transfer to Payne.

WALTER J. DEAL

Riverside