Dean Abbott, CNSNews.ocm
Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2002

Dr. Rosalie Porter, co-chair of English for the Children, Massachusetts, said the ballot initiative is a "long overdue effort to change the way immigrant children are taught."

Since 1971, Porter said, immigrant children have been steered into "transitional bilingual education programs" in which they have been taught every subject in their native language most of the school day for several years.

"The expectation was that this would help them learn what they need to learn in school as well as help them to learn English quickly. It hasn't worked out that way. Bilingual programs have not been a success, not in Massachusetts and not in most other states," Porter said.

Porter, who immigrated to the United States at age six, unable to speak English, said she first tried to address her concern over the shortcomings of traditional bilingual education by approaching the Massachusetts Legislature, but found them unresponsive.

"Finally," she said, "it has become necessary to make the change by way of a citizens initiative. Since initiative campaigns succeeded in the state of California in 1998 and in the state of Arizona in 2000, we started a campaign in Massachusetts to do the same thing."

The campaigns to overturn bilingual education in California and Arizona were both financed by California software developer Ron Unz. Unz is also at work helping to finance the Massachusetts campaign. Porter said she has known and worked with Unz for several years and that her group turned to him after the successes in California and Arizona for "a little financial support, and some good advice."

While some people in Massachusetts criticize Unz as a wealthy outsider trying to limit the opportunities for immigrant children, Porter defended Unz' record.

"The documented evidence about Ron Unz is clearly in the record. He ran for governor in the California Republican primary on a pro-immigrant plank. Unz is on record as advocating for immigrants. He has a lot of sympathy for immigrant children, especially when he saw how poorly they were being educated."

Among the Massachusetts voters wishing to keep the bilingual education plan in place is Roger Rice, Executive Director of the Multicultural Education and Training Alliance (META).

'Absolute Right'

"Historically, parents have had an absolute right not to have their kid in a bilingual program or to have their kid in a bilingual program. Under the Unz proposal, parents have no rights at all," Rice said. "If your kid is between kindergarten and 10 years of age, there's one program. It's the only program allowed. Parents have no choice."

Rice added that the changes in California have hurt non-English speaking students.

"What we are finding in California is that it is almost like the clock was turned back thirty years. You've got kids sitting in class. They don't know what the teacher is talking about. The teacher doesn't know how to teach them. That's what's going on under the guise of immersion/submersion."

Despite strong opposition to the plan to eliminate bilingual education in Massachusetts, Porter believes voters will pass the referendum.

"Absolutely," she said, "unless something very unusual happens." Porter cited a recent newspaper poll showing 69 percent of respondents favoring the initiative. "That's a very big percentage," she said.

But even if voters approve the ballot measure, the Massachusetts Legislature could still scrap the plan to do away with bilingual education.

"What happens after Election Day is the tricky part," Porter said. "In Massachusetts, once an initiative has been voted in, the Legislature can reject it, pass it, or modify it. So there is an opportunity for the Legislature to do some real skullduggery."

However, Porter said a strong show of public support might influence lawmakers from Massachusetts. "If we received a very large majority of the vote, I think the Legislature would be reluctant to do anything stupid, but you know, have they not done stupid things before?"

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