Ten Concerns About the Unz Initiative on Bilingual Education

1. Unz's one-year English immersion provision is based on ideological grounds rather than any reputable theory or research. Ron Unz, author of Proposition 227, the California ballot initiative on which his Massachusetts initiative is modeled on, is not an educator or even the parent of a child. A neo-conservative libertarian who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for Governor of California, Unz has been using his successful campaign against bilingual education to propel his own personal political ambitions and ego.
2. Bilingual education, and indeed pedagogy or any kind, is an important and complex subject matter that deserves to be addressed and reformed through careful thought and deliberation rather than through a "yes" or "no" vote by voters with little or no knowledge of the issue.
3. Unlike California and Arizona, where voters acted in the absence of any credible effort by elected leaders to reform bilingual education, Massachusetts voters can expect to see a bilingual education overhaul by their Legislature and a new law on the books by the Spring of 2002. The new law, which follows successful efforts to reform education as a whole in Massachusetts, will likely allow school districts, and parents to choose from a range of methods of instruction to teach English language, as well as other subjects, to limited English proficient students (LEPs), while, at the same time, holding principals, teachers, parents and students accountable for outcomes; including proficiency in English.
4. One size does not fit all. It is a recognized fact that different children have different needs. School districts and parents should have the flexibility to choose from a range of successful programs like the highly successful two-way bilingual education program where native English speakers and bilingual students are learning in 2 languages in the same classroom; programs which would be eliminated under the proposed ballot initiative.
5. Massachusetts can ill afford to tamper with the successful gains made in education reform, particularly given the high stakes associated with MCAS. Students who have recently arrived in our country will very likely fail to grasp concepts and course work, particularly science and math, in English-only classrooms; concepts and course work that are important to their individual success and to future employers seeking a skilled work force. Prior to the introduction of bilingual education, this sink or swim approach resulted in an 8O-90% drop out rate for Limited English Proficient children.
6. We live in a global economy. Students who are bilingual are in the best position to compete in that economy. Many companies with markets overseas are seeking to hire employees who are fluent in a language other than English. Moreover, the development of the full academic potential of language minority students, including, proficiency in English, is an imperative, both for the students, their families and community and for the greater economic and political development of the Commonwealth.
7. Massachusetts can ill afford to import a failed experiment. The California based promoters of one size fits all English-immersion have misled the public about the success of their approach. Ron Unz claims that by using his unproven approach, students who do not speak or understand English will learn the language in only one year. However, in 1998-99, the first year of the Unz one-size-fits all scheme, California had 1,442,692 students who were classified as being unable to read, speak or write English. After one year in his program, there were 1,480,527 such students. Only 112,214 students were re-classified as having learned English. In other words, the Unz "one year and you¹re out² English immersion program failed to teach English in one year, over one million times! (Source: California Department of Education).
8. The Unz approach in California has actually harmed the education of LEP students. Ron Unz claims that his approach helps immigrant and non-English speaking students to catch up with their English-speaking classmates. In truth, from 1998-99 to 2000-01 the achievement gap between non-English speaking (LEP) students and English speakers (non-LEP students) widened at every grade from 3-12. The Unz approach actually let LEP students fall further behind. (Source: California Department of Education).
9. Massachusetts innovations in bilingual education are working. The Framingham bilingual education program is a model of success. Nearly one-third of Framingham's 8,739 students speak a first language other than English and about 1,500 of them participate in some variety of bilingual education. On average, students spend two years and three months in bilingual programs and score above state averages on MCAS. Boston Sunday Globe I0/28/01). California's rate of reclassification from LEP to FEP three years after Proposition 227 is 7% lower than the rate of any bilingual program in Massachusetts.
10. The Unz law allows teachers, administrators and school officials to be sued and/or barred from teaching. The Unz law contains a provision that specifically allows teachers, school administrators and elected/appointed school officials to be sued individually for using native language instruction (even if it is to help a child learn English). If found guilty, they will be made to personally pay monetary damages and attorney's fees out of their own pockets. Unlike, doctors and lawyers who can be protected from financial liability in their professions, under this law, educators and public officials cannot be indemnified for such monetary judgments by any public or private third party (such as a union). Moreover, these educators and public officials are completely barred from employment in any public school and from election or re-election to the school committee for a period of five years.

-30-