(Phoenix, Arizona) A public interest lawyer wants to allow high school students to graduate without learning English. Starting in 2006, Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) test must be passed prior to receiving a diploma.

From The Arizona Republic:

AIMS should not be a graduation requirement for immigrant children until the state complies with a federal court order to improve funding for English-learner instruction, said Tim Hogan, who heads the Center for Law in the Public Interest. Until lawmakers and Gov. Janet Napolitano can end a two-month-long stalemate over a new funding plan for English-learner programs, Hogan wants the judge to suspend the AIMS requirement for thousands of children. Starting with the Class of 2006, high school seniors must pass the reading, writing and math test to earn a diploma.

This appears to largely be a political ploy to ratchet more funds into English-learner programs, yet some believe that there is no evidence to support the contention that the programs are underfunded. In my opinion, it's insulting to suggest that incompetency in a particular subject makes a certain group of people more equal than all the other students.