Success for English immersion in schools?

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The clash over prop 227's ban on bilingual education in 1998 was among the most hard fought political battles in recent years. The law provided for one year of special instruction in English. After that students were expected to take classes in English unless their parents applied for a waiver. Two years down the road, new test results show big increases for elementary school kids who were immersed in English thanks to the bilingual ban. The scores have given a boost to opponents of bilingual education in other states, and stirred up a fight here in California over whether the improvements can really be traced to prop 227's impact.
The clash over prop 227's ban on bilingual education in 1998 was among the most hard fought political battles in recent years. The law provided for one year of special instruction in English. After that students were expected to take classes in English unless their parents applied for a waiver. Two years down the road, new test results show big increases for elementary school kids who were immersed in English thanks to the bilingual ban. The scores have given a boost to opponents of bilingual education in other states, and stirred up a fight here in California over whether the improvements can really be traced to prop 227's impact.

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney

Producer:

Frances Anderton