Diverse Population Fuels Need for Good Bilingual Education
When Johnny Liang came to Randolph High School from China in 1998, he spoke virtually no English. He was put into bilingual classes, where he studied typical high school subjects in his native Chinese, while learning English at the same time. Today, Liang is excelling in all so-called mainstream classes - those taught by English-speaking teachers to English-speaking students. "I totally understand my teachers," said Liang, now an 18-year-old senior. In Randolph schools, where 16 percent of the student population speaks a language other than English - 51 languages among them - at home, Liang is a bilingual-education success story. But Massachusetts' bilingual education system could become a thing of the past if Silicon Valley millionaire Ron Unz has his way. Unz wants to scrap the current system, which allows students to take classes in their native languages for up to three years while studying English, and replace it with one year of English immersion before students join regular classes. That could mean big changes in Randolph schools, unique among south suburban schools for their diversity. "If you look at the contiguous towns to Randolph, you would find it's not even close as far as the demographics go," said Superintendent Arthur Melia. "Randolph is a pocket of multiculturalism." Last year's enrollment by race listed 42 percent of the student population as white, 36 percent black, 12 percent Asian, 8 percent Hispanic, and 1 percent American Indian, he said. A total of 402 students, or about 10 percent of Randolph's 4,200 student population, was enrolled in either bilingual or English as a Second Language classes last year. A total of 235 students spoke Haitian-Creole as their primary language and 136 spoke Chinese. Of those students, 42 took bilingual classes taught in Haitian-Creole, while 37 took classes taught in Chinese. Another 323 students were enrolled in ESL classes, taught in English to students whose native languages range from Spanish and Vietnamese to Twi and Tagalog. According to state law, public schools must provide classes taught in a student's native language if the system has 20 or more of those students who cannot pass a basic English proficiency test. That is why Randolph offers Haitian and Chinese bilingual education. Randolph schools also ran a Vietnamese program two years ago, but dropped it after student enrollment dipped below 20, Melia said. Now, many of those students are in ESL classes. Some are in regular classes, but get extra support from ESL staff. Although agreeing that improvements could be made, Randolph bilingual and ESL teachers said they do not support a complete overhaul of the system, and questioned whether a year of English immersion was the answer. "There is always room for improvement. But I think some students come to us without any literacy in their own culture," said Othnel Pierre, Haitian community liaison and teacher. "If you take those students and bring them here without any bridge, then they will be lost. They are well protected here." But Melia, who has been superintendent for the past six of his 29 years in Randolph schools, sees merit in Unz's ballot initiative, which has passed overwhelmingly in California and Arizona. In Massachusetts, 57,000 signatures are needed for the initative to be on next November's ballot. "The bilingual law as it is now is severely flawed," he said. "The faster the kids learn English, the better they perform overall." ESL specialist Rachel Zalocha, who has taught in four Massachusetts school systems, said some districts, including Randolph, are better than others at teaching non-English-speaking students. The successful schools offer plenty of support and work to integrate the students into the general school community. Along with language skills, Randolph schools try to help students from other countries handle traumas from their past, such as that experienced by one student who witnessed civil war in his native Sierra Leone, they said. Last year, a trauma specialist was brought in to advise staff. Flor Lopez, a 19-year-old senior who entered Randolph High from her native Peru last year, said she has picked up a lot of English, but needs more. "I understand some words, but not all," she said. "With some teachers, I can't understand anything they say." |