U.S.ENGLISH Logo

 Bilingual Education Reform

Press Gallery
Contact U.S.ENGLISH
Table of Contents
Search


Donate Now (Secure)

Awards for the U.S.ENGLISH website:
SelectSurf Best of the Web Award

Home Page
U.S.ENGLISH, Inc.
U.S.ENGLISH Foundation

 

There is no question that children with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) require special assistance to learn English. U.S.ENGLISH strongly supports full funding for programs that quickly and effectively teach children English.

The role of the schools should be to provide students with the English language skills necessary to succeed in American society. The more quickly LEP children learn enough English to transfer into mainstream classes, the better off they are. Unfortunately, too many LEP students are trapped for too long in programs that teach them too little English. Despite the claims of bilingual education proponents, research has not proven native language instruction to be superior to other forms of instruction—if fact, many studies show that these programs are inferior to programs that are more English-intensive.

U.S.ENGLISH advocates the following reforms that will continue funding for programs that effectively teach English to children and will give parents an increased voice in determining how their children will be taught:

  • Increase local control.
    •  The federal government currently earmarks at least 75% of its bilingual education funding for programs that spend most of the time teaching children in their native language. Funding should continue, but the federal government will allow the local school jurisdiction to choose the education program they find most effective.
  • Make schools accountable.
 Require schools to track and report on the progress of students in each type of program for LEP students. Funding should be withdrawn from programs that are not succeeding at rapidly teaching English and given to programs that are.
  • Give parents a choice.
 Require educators to get consent from parents of LEP children before placing them in bilingual education programs. Parents must also have the right to withdraw their children from such programs.

In the 105th Congress, U.S.ENGLISH supported H.R. 3892, "The English Language Fluency Act." The bill incorporated the reforms listed above and passed in the House of Representatives in 1998 with a vote of 221-189. Unfortunately, the Senate did not vote on the bill before the end of the session.

Since the Bilingual Education Act is up for reauthorization by Congress in 1999, U.S.ENGLISH is working with Chairman Bill Goodling (R-PA) of the Education and Workforce Committee to ensure that the necessary reforms are written into federal law. U.S.ENGLISH is also working on reform at the state level.

 

U.S.ENGLISH, Inc. | Home Page | U.S.ENGLISH Foundation

Copyright © 1999 by U.S.ENGLISH, Inc.
WARNING: Any citation of  the material contained in this website must credit U.S.ENGLISH. No portion of this website may be reproduced or transmitted in any way without the express permission of U.S.ENGLISH. Copyright violations will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

This page was last updated 04/26/99.

We rated with RSACi.