Education Dept., in Shift, Favors Bilingual Education

The Education Department, reversing its opposition to expanded bilingual education, is quietly shifting federal policy in favor of programs that use native languages to teach students English as well as other subjects.

“It’s a very significant shift,” said James Lyons, executive director of the National Assn. for Bilingual Education. The department’s new posture contrasts sharply with the policies of former Education Secretary William J. Bennett, who “tried to obliterate the native language skills of children,” according to Lyons.

Authorities said that one of the most important signs of change was Education Secretary Lauro F. Cavazos’ selection of Rita Esquivel, former assistant superintendent of California’s Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, to head the department’s bilingual education program.

Under Cavazos and Esquivel, the department is “becoming more aware of the positive results that use of native language instruction can have on children in bilingual education,” said Denise de la Rosa of the National Council of La Raza, a Latino lobbying organization.

The change in the Education Department under Cavazos is “very radical, like night and day,” said Shelly Spiegel-Coleman, a consultant to the Los Angeles County Department of Education and former president of the California Assn. of Bilingual Education.

California schools have 742,559 students with limited English skills, most of whom speak Spanish, according to unpublished figures recently compiled by the state Department of Education. That represents a 14% jump over last year’s figure, compared to normal annual increases of 6% to 8%.

When he announced Esquivel’s appointment at the May convention of the National Assn. of Bilingual Education, Cavazos voiced opposition to placing children with limited English skills into all-English classrooms. “The sink-or-swim days of learning English are over, and they must never be allowed to come back,” he declared.

“At the same time that we are teaching our children English, we must do all we can to help them maintain their native language and culture,” Cavazos told the educators. “Those are treasures which we should not waste.”

In a recent interview, Esquivel did not characterize the department’s policies as having changed significantly since she assumed office on July 1.

Has a Different Style

“The primary purpose (of bilingual education) has always been the same, but probably my style is a little different,” she said.

“Our goal . . . is to travel throughout the country and to tell people that the primary goal of bilingual education is to teach children English, and that there are many ways of teaching children English,” Esquivel said.

“Our agenda is that we want to be very open and inclusive of everyone, and our agenda is that we will use the primary language where . . . possible . . . keeping in mind that it’s only to build a bridge to learning English,” she said.

Former Education Secretary Bennett assailed bilingual education as ineffective and asked that more federal funds be directed toward programs that teach classes in English rather than students’ native languages.

Funds Cut Back

“Bennett wanted to eliminate programs,” De la Rosa said. “There was less funding of programs that were truly bilingual, and money was funneled into English-only programs.”

Even so, De la Rosa said she would not be certain that a policy shift had occurred until the department allocates more funds to grants for schools with bilingual education programs. The first budget prepared by Esquivel will not take effect until the 1991 school year.

The department provides grants to school districts for three main types of education for children who do not speak English: transitional programs, in which students are taught math and other basic skills in their native languages while they are learning English; sheltered English programs, in which children are taught in English geared to their level of comprehension; and immersion programs, in which children are left to compete with their English-speaking peers.

Bilingual Programs Criticized

Transitional bilingual education has been criticized by Los Angeles-based LEAD (Learning English Advocates Drive) and other English-first groups. They argue that students in bilingual programs rely too heavily on their native languages and do not learn English quickly.

However, Sandra Andersen, executive director of the California Assn. of Bilingual Education, said, “There’s so much evidence for bilingual education and so many problems with immersion that we’re really glad that Washington supports this view. We can get programs funded that we know will work.”

Officially, the Education Department does not favor one teaching method over another, Esquivel said. But she noted that she is “very much in favor of transitional bilingual education” and other programs, depending on the needs of the district.

Favors Local Control

“My philosophy is that there has to be local control,” she said. “The people of the community need to decide what is best for their school.”

In addition to working as an administrator in the Santa Monica-Malibu school system, Esquivel has taught elementary and secondary school for nearly 30 years--an experience she acknowledges affected her views on bilingual education.

“When I taught in schools where all the children spoke Spanish, a lot of them were not able to keep up, a lot got discouraged and dropped out. We used to punish children for speaking Spanish on the playground,” she said.

“Children lost their self-esteem. They felt that what was spoken at home by their parents was something that was not good.”

Official’s Opinions Praised

Esquivel’s opinions about children with limited English skills, coupled with her expertise in bilingual programs, were praised by bilingual advocates, who said they were pleased they would no longer have to fight the department.

“She knows first-hand what it means for a student to work in his primary language,” said Spiegel-Coleman, the Los Angeles consultant.

“Unlike her predecessors, she has devoted her professional life to the education of language-minority children,” Lyons said.