Don Soifer, Lexington Institute, September 2001
Federal law stipulates that three-quarters of all funding under the Bilingual Education Act must be reserved for programs that teach students in their native language. No more than one fourth may be spent on "alternative" programs such as English immersion despite the fact that these are nearly always more effective at imparting English-language competency to youngsters. Don Soifer takes on the "75/25" rule - targeted for demise in President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" plan - in a recent Lexington Institute report. Profiling 14 federally funded bilingual education programs in Massachusetts (which fall under the "75" category), Soifer shows that none achieved significant gains in student academic achievement or transition rates to mainstream classrooms, which are the two best gauges of a successful bilingual ed program. With as few as 9% of students in some programs mainstreamed after several years of bilingual education, the data paint a bleak picture of kids languishing in bilingual ed, falling ever farther behind their English-speaking peers. Rife with examples of mismanaged class time, dubious budget priorities, and wrongheaded thinking, this 15-page report is available online at http://www.lexingtoninstitute.org/education/fedbilingual.htm. If you'd prefer a hard copy, contact the Lexington Institute, 1655 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite 325, Arlington, VA 22209; 703-522-5828; fax 703-522-5837; [email protected].
