We Owe Our Kids English Immersion

* Proposition 227, the “English for the Children” initiative, isn’t really about “bilingual education” versus “English only.” That’s political rhetoric.

Bilingual education seldom produces truly bilingual, bi-literate students. And no one wants the children to speak only English. As a parent, I want my five children to know English well and to learn other languages. Our schools should be doing just that.

The issue is what works for our students.

A Santa Ana Unified School District bilingual study in 1987 pointed out that over 84% of the students in these programs were two or more years behind, and that it was unlikely that they would ever catch up. Despair sets in: “I will never catch up.” And when students turn their backs on education, a world of gangs, crime, drugs and violence awaits them.

We see their faces when they come before us during the expulsion process. Santa Ana has 10% of the population of Orange County, yet we account for 50% of the expulsion cases.

Most everyone acknowledges that what we’ve done does not work. And whatever pockets of success someone may point to certainly do not merit its great expense. So what do we do?

Some say, “We just need to fix it, explore more programs, try new theories. We just need more money. We just need them to train more teachers. We just need to import teachers from Spain and Mexico. Give us more time and we’ll get it right.”

Absolutely not. We have had enough experimentation. Our children are not guinea pigs, laboratory animals, to be used to promote a theory from academia. The American taxpayers do not have money for these grand experiments. We cannot wait another 20 years to see if a different approach works. Students’ futures are at stake. We must do what has been successful. And immersion works.

ROSEMARIE AVILA

Trustee, Santa Ana

Unified School District