TABE Response to Article on Bilingual Education in Texas

[Francis Hult]

>>From the Texas Association for Bilingual Education (TABE) list...

  

The Texas Association for Bilingual Education denounces the report issued today by the Texas Public Policy Foundation regarding Bilingual Education. "Predictably, they stipulate that Bilingual Education does not work and recommend English Immersion. They are incorrect. All credible research indicates that when properly implemented, quality bilingual programs produce bi-literate students who achieve academically at the same rates, or even higher, than their native English classmates; in fact, Bilingual Education is the most efficient way for students to learn English", said Dr. Iliana Alanís, President of TABE. She continued, "The recent article in Texas Monthly entitled 'Dream of a Common Language', was extensively fact checked through research and site visits in bilingual classrooms; their conclusion was that Bilingual Education works."

 

According to Alanís, "Russell was a proponent of immersion in English when it was instituted in Massachusetts. Boston's English learner drop-out rates soared after the state mandated English-only teaching. Furthermore, ending ESL led directly to a decline of ELL students' test scores in the Boston schools."

 

Immersion has not worked; it has not worked in California, Arizona, and Massachusetts. Enrichment Bilingual Education however, has produced tremendous results.  In Dallas I.S.D. 95% of the dual language students passed the TAKS and 35% received commended scores for the first time ever just last year!  In Keller I.S.D., outside Fort Worth , 100% passed TAKS and 65% received commended scores.  In Pharr, San Juan, Alamo I.S.D. students were tracked from kindergarten to grade 12, and not one of them dropped out, 100% graduated and many now attend college on scholarships to Harvard, Yale, and the University of Texas", continued Alanís.

 

"Given the current student demographics, TABE believes that Bilingual Education is critical to the economic development of our state. We are disappointed, but not surprised, that the Texas Public Policy Foundation would produce an opinioned report; but we are after all, talking about an organization that wants to privatize our schools", said Dr. Alanis.

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