Education

Old Bilingual Method is Discredited Since last June, when California voters put an end to that state's discredited bilingual education programs, policymakers, educators and parents around the nation have sought ways to make similar changes to help English learners in their own schools. Massachusetts is now taking important strides to improve life for its Limited English-Proficient students, and the timing could not be better.
California Started Escape From Linguistic Ghetto Maybe it's time for Easterners to quit sneering that California's the Left Coast, the spawning grounds for loony notions that eventually sweep the nation. Once again, Californians' exercise of direct democracy is leading the nation back to common sense. Citizens' initiatives and referenda led to curbs on excessive property taxation and affirmative action. Now, California's resounding (61-to-39 percent) approval of the June, 1998, "English for the Children" ballot proposition is inspiring action across the country to reform bilingual education.
Making the Grade Ben Wildavsky's dispatch from Waco, Texas, in the July 19 issue ("When Johnny can't read -- try tough love") conveyed the pain that will be felt as accountability comes to communities serious about school reform. Setting standards and writing tests was a breeze, comparatively.
GOALS 2000: The Hour Has Arrived To Re-Evaluate The Federal Role in Education Reform The Goals 2000 movement made its public debut 10 years ago when President Bush and the nation's Governors met at a National Education Summit and agreed on national goals for schools. The gathering occurred amid a burst of bipartisan optimism that desperately needed improvements in public education would ensue.
Bilingual Education Reform: Critical for Hispanic Student Success Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to participate in today's discussion on federal education programs for Limited English-Proficient (LEP) students. My name is Don Soifer and I am the Executive Vice President of the Lexington Institute, a nonpartisan public-policy research organization in Arlington, Virginia. My remarks will focus on the need for flexibility in the bilingual education program, and in that regard I will stress the following three points:
Bilingual Education Reform Moves Northeast Bilingual education reform has become one of the nation's fastest-growing public policy movements. Last June, California voters approved an initiative pulling the plug on most of the state's widely-criticized bilingual education programs. Since then, policymakers, educators and parents around the nation have initiated related efforts to help English learners in their own schools. Now a proposed bill in the Connecticut legislature suggests limiting the time students spend in bilingual programs and reexamining the standards they must meet to graduate into mainstream classrooms.
A Chance to Fix Bilingual Woes Arizona right now faces a major opportunity to help its Limited English Proficient (LEP) students by reforming current bilingual education programs. Bilingual education is widely used in school districts throughout Arizona. While the methods vary widely, nearly all rely on segregating English learners in classrooms where they are taught in their native language rather than in English.
The Clinton Education Legacy: Headed Toward a Failing Grade? During his six plus years in office, President Clinton has given continuous attention to American education. Indeed, he has made it a top priority for his administration. But how significantly has education policy changed, particularly for America's troubled elementary and secondary schools? Put differently: are America's school children better off than they were six years ago?
Reform Needed in Federal K-12 Education Funding What is the most critical issue that the incoming session of Congress must address? It may well be reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the primary law pertaining to the federal government's role in K-12 public education.
Will Arizona Be Next? The Grand Canyon State Considers Reforming Bilingual Education Following the dramatic success of a California proposition this June to end the use of bilingual education, policymakers from around the nation have begun to question the effectiveness and appropriateness of those programs in their own schools. But which state will be the next to take the bold steps taken in California? Many believe it will be Arizona.
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