Bilingual Education

Bilingual Education Reform That is Right for New York

Last Updated Oct 5, 2008 00:20 PM

New York City has always served as the Gateway to America to immigrants from around the world. From our earliest days, New York City has embraced diversity, embodying the words on the Great Seal of the United States, E Pluribus Unum - "Out of Many, One."

But for the past quarter century, New York City - along with much of the country - embarked upon a well-intentioned effort to help ease the transition of non-English speaking students into mainstream, English speaking classrooms. These programs have not functioned as they were intended.

Instead of serving as a temporary, transitional service, too many children are being stuck in bilingual programs, sometimes for up to nine years. More than 50% do not exit within three years, which is the standard set by New York State.

Bilingual Education reform is not only an idea whose time has come; it is a practical necessity. We need to restore common sense and accountability to New York City's bilingual programs. We have a responsibility to look at the results of the bilingual education programs that have been in place for the past twenty-five years and measure their success in achieving their central mission - helping children learn English as effectively and efficiently as possible.

That's why I created the Bilingual Education Task Force in 1999. Their report, released last week, analyzed Board of Education data which showed that nearly 20% of children who enter bilingual programs in kindergarten have not exited the program 9 years later; while 85.4% of students who enter bilingual programs in the 9th grade haven't transitioned out within four years - the traditional end of high school. Moreover, Students who stayed in bilingual programs for six years or more were nearly 50% more likely to drop out of school than students in the general population.

This is not the mark of a program that is serving its students effectively. Bilingual Education is leaving too many children behind, and not preparing them realistically for life in America after school. We have a responsibility to do better by the 160,000 New York City children who were served in bilingual education programs during the 1999-2000 school year.

At the heart of these recommendations is the principle of giving parents more choice over their child's education. The establishment of an Accelerated English Language Acquisition Option will give parents an alternative to traditional Bilingual and English as a Second Language programs, one that aims for a more ambitious transition into mainstream, English-speaking classrooms. The quality of instruction will improve for students in all programs as we increase teacher recruitment and require certification, while the three-year state standard for transition will be enforced for the first time in years.

Chancellor Levy, who served on my Task Force, has submitted a very similar set of recommendations to the members of the Board of Education. Other New York City Schools Chancellors - beginning with Chancellor Macchiarola in the early 1980s - have recognized the need to reform bilingual education. It is a great credit to Chancellor Levy that he has worked to effect the real, achievable reform that this program requires so that it can truly benefit the children it serves.

Taken together, these recommended reforms would constitute the most fundamental changes to New York City's bilingual education programs in the past quarter century. If implemented, the quality of instruction will improve, and more children will learn English faster in order to move more quickly into and participate fully in mainstream, English-speaking classrooms. Parents will be able to make informed choices about their children's education, as student progress and programmatic results will be measured and reported. This renewed emphasis on organizational accountability within a goal-driven curriculum will help students meet the State Regents' Requirements for Graduation. These reforms will ensure not only that bilingual education programs meet their originally intended purpose, but also that all of New York City's children have an equal opportunity to succeed in the 21st Century.

See also Bilingual Education 512 1 - 5