Activists pushing ballot question to dismantle bilingual education
BOSTON---Activists are pushing a ballot question they say will replace the state's bilingual education program with a system requiring non-English speaking students to be taught almost entirely in English. Opponents to the current system say it has failed. They point to low MCAS scores, low college admission rates and a high number of high school dropouts among bilingual students. They say students need to learn English as quickly as possible in "intensive English immersion" programs and then return to regular classes. Backers of bilingual education say the program needs to be updated, not scrapped. They are backing a bill to force bilingual programs to meet the same standards required of schools under the 1993 Education Reform Act. The Massachusetts bilingual law, the oldest in the nation, requires a school district to offer bilingual education if there are 20 or more students in the district who speak the same language. There were about 37,700 students enrolled in bilingual programs last year. Ron Unz, who helped finance a 1998 California ballot question which dismantled that state's bilingual education program, is expected to endorse the effort. Backers of the question plan to submit their proposal to the attorney general's office Tuesday, the first step to getting it on the 2002 ballot. |