English immersion will cost more, researcher warns Pat Kossan
A November ballot proposal to replace bilingual education with a one-year English immersion program could cost school districts more, not less, money, an education researcher warned school administrators gathered today in Tempe. The bad news came the same day a federal judge in Tucson ordered the state to start figuring out - right now - how much it would cost to bolster already under-funded bilingual education programs. Study results must be ready for legislators in January. A year ago, in a case filed against the state by Nogales Unified School District parents, the court ruled the state's underfunded bilingual program violates federal law The court order stands whether or not voters decide to dismantle the state's existing bilingual education in the Nov. 7 election. Any new funding instead would be put into English immersion classes and teacher training. J. David Ramirez, a researcher from California State University-Long Beach, can't understand why the measure would pass in Arizona. In a state where parents can choose to educate their children at home or send them to the country's widest selection of charter schools, why would residents vote to limit educational choices for kids who don't speak English? asked Ramirez. He was in town to share his early research from a similar California law passed two years ago. "It's a major violation of parental rights and local control," Ramirez said about Proposition 203. "If we do it to this group, what other group can we start disenfranchising. Why not special education?" If Prop. 203 passes, Arizona school administrators should be prepared for more lawsuits, Ramirez said. For his part, the federal judge plans further rulings on the lawsuit, which also demands that teachers of limited-English students be trained and certified. Ramirez said that will be costly. If children are limited to English immersion classes, those teachers must be trained to ensure children get core math, reading, science, and history subjects at the same time, he said. All teachers also need to be trained to help children catch up in their language skills after they are moved into mainstream classes, Ramirez said. It takes about five years for kids new to English to catch up with English-proficient classmates, he said. Reach the reporter at pat.kossan@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8960. The Associated Press contributed to this article. |