Kevin
What a pity. Bilingual ed should be in the interests of the children, and
2-way programs benefit the English children.
Here in South Africa, African languages have such low status in the eyes of
the parents, that we are only starting to be able to strengthen the home
language curriculum, thus far.
Carol
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kevin Rocap" <krocap@csulb.edu>
To: <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2002 8:23 PM
Subject: Re: return of the native(ism) [massachusetts results]
> Dear friends,
>
> On the bilingual front there is bad news and good news. While the
> Massachusetts initiative passed a similar initiative in Colorado was
> defeated.
>
> My sympathies with folks in MA it was a dark day in California as well
> when Prop 227 passed.
>
> Apropos to our recent discussion the issue of "labeling" played a
> confounding role in California (and likely elsewhere). When we use the
> term "bilingual," for instance, are we referring to the students or the
> programs? It is a big difference.
>
> In California "bilingual education" has always referred to any program
> that serves bilingual English language learners (whether or not any
> non-English primary language is used in that educational program).
>
> And in California, even *before* Prop 227 less than 20% of students
> (closer to 15%) in so-called "bilingual education" programs were
> receiving any non-English language support or instruction.
>
> The majority of kids in "bilingual education" programs were already
> (pre-227) in English-Only ESL-type programs, that unfortunately were
> also labeled "bilingual education," because of *who they served* not
> *what they offered.*
>
> But the Unz spin machine was able to give the public the perception that
> kids in "bilingual education" programs in California were languishing
> away in classes taught entirely in a non-English primary language,
> without access to quality English language instruction/development.
> This simply wasn't the case. But how do you meaningfully distinguish
> "bilingual education" from "bilingual education" for naive voters? (and
> I know there are other politics involved, and not all voters were naive
> or would be convinced to vote differently if they knew the reality).
>
> So even assuming some voter consensus that "bilingual education" was
> failing it was already a predominantly English-Only approach that was
> failing. So the solution to mandate, through 227, for all bilingual
> learners what was already failing to serve most of them was patently
> absurd.
>
> All I can say to folks in Massachusetts is "waivers" (if those haven't
> been totally sacked in the MA version of this initiative) and rallying
> the upper income white folks with kids in Two-Way Bilingual Immersion
> who don't want their kids forced out of those quality programs. Another
> racist reality is that a handful of those white, upper income parents
> addressing a state or local school board will have more clout than bus
> loads of Latino parents making the same demand for their kids (at least
> that was the case in California).
>
> And so it goes.
>
> In Peace,
> K.
>
>
>
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Dec 01 2002 - 01:00:07 PST