California banned bilingual education for almost 20 years. It still hasn’t recovered

  • by:
  • Source: CalMatters
  • 12/13/2024
The nation’s most linguistically diverse state has a tortured history with bilingual education in public schools. The Education Department can’t — and the Legislature won’t — do what it takes to repair the damage.

While dual-language programs often stop after elementary school, the “bilingual advantage” stretches through students’ K-12 years and into their working lives. Dual-language students have been found to score higher than their peers on both math and English language arts exams by middle school. They also get higher scores on the ACT in high school, setting them up to be more competitive in college admissions.

And importantly, a team at Stanford found that native Spanish speakers were more likely to test out of English-learner services if they took bilingual classes, a coveted goal because of how well “former English learners” do. University of Chicago researchers just released data showing that Chicago high schoolers in this group had higher-than-average GPAs and SAT scores, high school graduation rates, and community college enrollment and persistence rates.

Please help put parents in charge of their child’s education by forwarding this article to other parents, family, friends and voters.
unknown person writing on chalkboard by Leonardo Toshiro Okubo is licensed under Unsplash unsplash.com

Other Articles

Opinion: Why are so many young students carrying guns to school?
A new study by The Washington Post uncovers frightening statistics about the number of guns in school nationwide, including in Utah
Read More
Should Voters Decide What Schools Teach?
Californians may vote to require a new high school finance course. Critics argue it sets a bad precedent.
Read More
Data theft plaguing K-12 schools after holiday season attacks
Schools across the U.S. remain fertile targets for hackers, with a slate of K-12 entities contending with cyberattacks and data thefts following the holiday season.
Read More
Do Teachers Have to Be Entertainers? Here’s What They Say
The term “student engagement” is used so frequently in K-12 education that it’s beginning to feel somewhat cliché to some. But educators can’t simply retire it.
Read More
Bill to give parents tax money for private school tuition passes Senate, giving Jeff Landry a big win
A bill to give parents tax dollars to pay for private school passed the Louisiana Senate on Thursday, handing Gov. Jeff Landry a major victory and thwarting critics — including some Republicans — who balked at the plan’s possibly massive cost and its potential to destabilize the state’s public schools.
Read More
US Jewish day schools enroll Israeli children who have been displaced by war
Within days of the Oct. 7 Hamas atrocities, Prizmah, the North American network for Jewish day schools, started getting calls from institutions about taking in Israeli students
Read More
Crack the Code: Parents learn tips to protect kids online
As cell phone access continues to fall into younger hands -- online predator access to your children is 10 times higher than it was 20 years ago.
Read More
High school students need time and space to read for pleasure. Here’s why it matters.
An English teacher and a school librarian in NYC launched an effort that is helping teens increase their reading stamina.
Read More

Get latest news delivered daily!

We will send you breaking news right to your inbox

© 2025 educationopportunity.org, Privacy Policy | FPPC #1460602