Foes of Mass. bilingual education plan say backers exaggerate success

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Foes of a ballot question that would radically overhaul bilingual education in Massachusetts say supporters are exaggerating the success of similar initiatives in California and Arizona.

The Massachusetts’ initiative would replace the state’s traditional three-year bilingual education system with a one-year “English immersion” program for children not fluent in the language.

Backers say the current system is outdated. They say students not fluent in English have thrived under one-year programs in California and Arizona. But opponents say that while test scores may be on the rise, the “achievement gap” between students who are fluent in English and those who are not has remained the same.

“In the best case scenario, English learners in structured English immersion classes are making no progress in closing the achievement gap,” Patricia Gandara, a professor at the University of California, said during a Monday forum sponsored by Harvard University’s Civil Rights Project.

Gandara said it would take a non-English speaking student from a middle class family up to 5 years to gain a command of academic English. A child of a poorer family might need up to 9 years.

Supporters of the question dismissed the forum as a “pep rally” and said the researchers are ignoring the true needs of immigrant children.

It is the “height of absurdity” to say it takes non-English speaking students five to nine years to learn the language, said Lincoln Tamayo, a former Chelsea High School principal who is leading the ballot campaign.

“There are too many educators who think immigrants students can not be held to the same standards as other students,” he said.

While the achievement gap may not have narrowed statewide in California, there is improvement in the districts that have fully embraced the law, Tamayo said.

At the center of the battle is California software entrepreneur Ron Unz, who bankrolled the ballot initiatives in California in 1998 and Arizona in 2000.

Unz has expanded his campaign to Massachusetts, the first state to adopt bilingual education, and Colorado.

To supporters, Unz is giving voice to the frustrations of immigrant parents who feel existing bilingual education systems trap their children and slow their ability to enter English-speaking classes.

To opponents, Unz is a millionaire “gadfly” who has adopted a simplistic solution to a complex educational challenge.

“Just because someone is a successful businessman like Ron Unz, it does not make them an educational expert,” said Delaine Eastin, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Before Massachusetts voters get a chance to weigh in on the November ballot, lawmakers are expected to debate an alternative bill allowing schools to pick and choose from a range of teaching methods for children not fluent in English.

The bill would also require schools to measure students’ performance, boost the involvement of parents, require bilingual education teachers be certified and make schools develop “English language success plans” for students who stay in bilingual programs more than two years.



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