Tancredo Targets Bilingual Education

Denver group plans fight against Congressman's effort to end program in State's public schools.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo is leading an effort to let voters decide if they want to effectively eliminate bilingual education from Colorado public schools.

But Tancredo appears headed for a tough fight with a group that says it’s ready to mobilize against any effort to abolish the programs.

“I passionately oppose what they’re doing – this is all about equity and equal access for all children,” said Pam Martinez, director of Padres Unidos, a Denver-based group that supports bilingual education. “We’re already talking about mobilizing anybody who believes in upholding equal education.”

An estimated 25,000 schoolchildren in Colorado are in bilingual programs. About 17,000 are in Denver Public Schools, where students receive three years of bilingual instruction before moving into mainstream classes.

Tancredo, a Littleton Republican who tried to end bilingual funding while in the Colorado Statehouse, said children who don’t speak English are being ” bottled up” in bilingual classrooms.

“They end up being way behind and dropping out of school,” he said. “It’s a tragic waste of talent.”

But Martinez said non-English-speaking children must learn in their native language before attempting to do so in English. If not, she said, “They come out illiterate in two languages.”

Tancredo’s plan, backed by a national group called One Nation Indivisible, must be formally filed with the state. Signatures of about 52,000 voters are required to get it on the November ballot.

A hearing is scheduled next week for the proposal, which is similar to an English-only initiative that passed in California.

“They’re going from state to state on this,” Martinez said. “They did this in California, and they tried it in New Mexico, where they were blown out of the water.”

She said the anti-bilingual group often uses catchy slogans that disguise the true meaning of the effort, like calling the campaign, “English for the Children.”

Martinez said she countered that by registering that phrase with the state of Colorado before Tancredo’s group could use it.

“They sent out a press release saying, ‘English for the children is coming to Colorado,’ ” she said. “Well, we’re saying, ‘No, you’re not.’ “

NOTES: Contact Michael Romano at (202) 408-2718 or [email protected].



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