Speak to the needs

Bilingual education has problems, but initiatives with one-size-fits-all approaches won't help.

Tomorrow Californians will vote on a proposition that could virtually wipe bilingual education off the map there. They should reject it.

The proposition aims to fix a system in dire need of repair. It’s the right problem, but the wrong solution. It will hurt far more kids than it will help.

If California passes this misguided effort, a bad precedent would be set for the rest of the nation. California educates nearly half the nation’s total non-English-speaking students — 1.3 million — but New Jersey has 50,000 students needing English support, and Philadelphia alone has about 30,000.

Like most states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, California allows different types of programs to help limited-English speakers. Some offer the basics in the native language while students learn English. Others pull students out of mainstream classes for English support.

But California’s Prop 227 would permit only one approach: a yearlong English immersion program for everyone. After that, the students sink or swim in regular classes.

Many children need several years of support in their native tongue, especially in the upper grades, which require a wider vocabulary for subjects like history and chemistry. Without that safety net, they risk falling hopelessly behind academically while acquiring English. That’s why bilingual programs began.

And that’s why a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. Children entering first grade may pick up English quickly; those entering when they are older may need more time.

Unfortunately, poorly administered programs have segregated students and let them linger in bilingual classes. California students spend an average of five to seven years in classes taught in languages other than English. Some students never do master English.

That’s why Prop 227 has gained so many backers, particularly in the ineteen of the 95 schools that serve limited-English speakers have bilingual programs. Last year, more than 500 children exited bilingual classes.

The intriguing model here for Spanish speakers allows children to maintain their language, learn the academics, and master English by attending three schools in North Philadelphia. The district is just beginning to study how these students are progressing, as they move from Potter-Thomas Elementary to Julia De Burgos Middle School and graduate from Edison High School. The district works to move children into mainstream classes in three or four years. Everyone wants these children to learn English as quickly as possible to ensure that they become productive citizens. California’s ballot measure won’t accomplish that goal.

Fixing bad programs by destroying the good ones makes no sense. What does? Finding ways to replicate successful programs, hiring good teachers — and helping all children master the nation’s language of education and economic success.



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