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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 1998
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Contact:
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Tim Schultz
800/787-8216
202/833-0100
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U.S.ENGLISH APPLAUDS PASSAGE OF FEDERAL BILL TO REFORM BILINGUAL EDUCATION
Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman/CEO of U.S.ENGLISH, applauded today's 221-189 vote by the House of Representatives to dramatically reform federal funding of bilingual education programs. "We are pleased that the House has recognized its responsibility to improve the education of immigrant children. I now call on the Senate to take action on this bill to truly guarantee every child in America a right to learn English."
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Frank Riggs (R-CA), would allow local districts to use any method they choose in teaching English to children with limited English proficiency. It would give parents control over which type of program their children are placed in, require tracking of children's progress in learning English, and limit federally-funded bilingual education programs to three years. For two years, U.S.ENGLISH has worked closely with the House Education and Workforce Committee and members of Congress to ensure passage of the bill. U.S.ENGLISH was also instrumental in providing information to Congressional and media sources to counter the misinformation campaign by opponents of the bill.
"This is a much more moderate proposal than California's Proposition 227," Mujica continued. "It allows school districts to use any method of teaching limited English proficient children, but it prevents children from being stuck indefinitely in native language classes. As an immigrant myself, I can attest that learning the English language cannot be accomplished without actually being taught in English."
U.S.ENGLISH is the nation's oldest and largest organization dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S.ENGLISH now has more than 1.3 million members nationwide.
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