Facing a Ron Unz-sponsored ballot initiative this fall that would gut the state's bilingual education program, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that would revamp the Bay State's bilingual program in more limited ways. At present, Massachusetts students who don't speak English take most classes in their native language while gradually learning English, often for many years. Like similar ballot questions passed in California and Arizona, the pending Massachusetts referendum would replace the current bilingual program with one year of English immersion before moving students into regular classes in English. The bill passed by the House this week would require school districts to consult with parents before creating bilingual programs and would require the Department of Education to monitor whether the programs work, using annual tests of English proficiency. Yet it's hard to imagine that this bill would yield much real change for students who don't speak English. For details see "House votes to revamp bilingual ed," by Anand Vaishnav, The Boston Globe, July 10, 2002, and "Bilingual education bill nears passage," by Anand Vaishnav, The Boston Globe, July 2, 2002
