U.S.ENGLISH Releases Bilingual Education Horror Story in Wisconsin

releases.usnewswire.com ^

[chance33_98]

U.S.ENGLISH Releases Bilingual Education Horror Story in Wisconsin; Vietnamese Student Forced into Spanish Language Classes

8/4/03 9:13:00 AM

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To: National Desk

Contact: Jim Lubinskas of U.S.ENGLISH, 202-833-0100, jlubinskas@usenglish.org

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Bilingual education has been dismantled by the voters in three states and studies show it is less effective at teaching English than the English immersion method, according to U.S.ENGLISH. But in states where it has not come up for a vote, bilingual education is still alive and well.

This produces all sorts of nightmares, but a horror story from Madison, Wis., illustrates how destructive bilingual education can be to immigrant students. Kiet Tran, 15, came to the United States in April 2002 when his Vietnamese mother married John Gardner, an American man from Madison, Wis. Kiet does not know English and Madison school officials placed him in a bilingual education class -- for Spanish speakers.

Of course, Kiet does not understand Spanish, but for three hours each day he was forced into classes where the instruction was almost entirely in Spanish. Gardner pleaded with the Madison school system to take his son out of the bilingual classes but to no avail. Kiet's education was harmed as he was not learning English or any of his other subjects taught in Spanish. Gardner said his son began to suffer emotional problems due to his frustration at school. Unable to get any cooperation from the Madison public school establishment, the family had to move out of the district.

The good news is that Kiet recently completed a four-week "English for College" program at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The program uses an English immersion method to help immigrant students learn the language and prepare them for college-level courses. Kiet won the award for "most improved English" and now looks forward to starting school in September.

Still, Gardner worries about other immigrant students. "My son has an English speaking father who understands our system of government and is not afraid to speak out," he said. "Many immigrant students do not have such an advantage and are often at the mercy of the education establishment." With that in mind, Gardner is filing a lawsuit against the Madison school system on the grounds that his son's civil rights were violated and for non-compliance with the Educational Opportunity Act of 1974.

Gardner has promised his state and federal representatives that he is going to make their stands on bilingual education an issue in the next election. He is also working hard to educate parents on the realities of bilingual education. "Most people assume that all students are given an equal chance to learn English. I was amazed to find out that this is not true. In Kiet's class, students wrote their answers in Spanish, used Spanish textbooks and conversed with the teachers and tutors in Spanish. Non-Spanish speakers were shut out of the learning process."

U.S.ENGLISH is the nation's oldest and largest citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States (Web site: http://www.us-english.org). Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S.ENGLISH now has more than 1.7 million members nationwide.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

Bilingual lack of Ed was voted down in MA. by a huge margin but I hear it has been funded by the legislature anyway.

Lot of happy campers about that.

[I still care]

Oh, they'll fix that. Next you hear, they will be opening up bilingual Vietnamese classes.

[Faeroe]

Welcome to the People's Republic of Madison: Check your notions of individual autonomy and common sense at the border.

[KarlInOhio]

Mexican? Vietnamese? They all look the same to me. </ extreme sarcasm>

[PaulJ]

Oh, they'll fix that. Next you hear, they will be opening up bilingual Vietnamese classes.

Never happen.Asians are not on the list of "approved minorities".

[I still care]

But they can't pass up a chance to soak the taxpayer for more money!! :)

[mhking]

What do you expect from the People's Republic of Madison?

Just damn.

If you want on the new list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Madison, WI.
isn't that where they hand out packs of cigarettes for votes from street people ?

[First Amendment]

The immersion method is absolutely the best method to learn a new language, for kids or adults. Years ago I found myself in Mexico (long boring story) with no one to speak to except Mexicans, and I knew not a word of Spanish. Within a few months - maybe 3 - I understood everything said to me (sometimes I had to ask them so slow down a little) and could express anything I wanted to, and understood grammar. And I had two little kids and wasn't in school.
Immersion is great.

[King Prout]

I feel sorry for the kid, but I am still laughing like a loon over this.

[redangus]

I have known a number of college students who majored in a forgeign language and that is exactly how they learned it. They were in classes everyday where as soon as you entered the room you spoke nothing but that language. Many of them went on to study in countries where their chosen language was the language, i.e. spanish students in Spain. It is the best and probably the only way to truly learn a new language. But of course we are assuming that the bi-lingual people see that as the desired result. My sister who works in education in a large metro school system will tell you that is not what most of these people are interested in.

[nightdriver]

"Unable to get any cooperation from the Madison public school establishment, the family had to move out of the district."

A rather typical scenario with anything the gubmint tries to do in "service" to the general public.

Unflexible, tyrannical, and often remarkably stupid.

[Straight Vermonter]

In Mass. they have demanded that the bi-lingual ed teachers take an english literacy test. Large numbers have failed but they are (of course) suing syaing the tests are (you guessed it) biased against foreigners. You can't make this stuff up!

[RedWhiteBlue]

Immersion is great.

Of course it is. Immersion is the way that all of us learned our first language!

[DonQ]

The horror in this horror story is that bilingual facilities and options were so lousy that only Spanish was available (not even French for Quebecois).

[Onelifetogive]

You don't suppose that.....just maybe....the school system got "extra: money for each student in "bilingual" education...do you???

[kitkat]

***You don't suppose that.....just maybe....the school system got "extra: money for each student in "bilingual" education...do you???***

SPOT ON! They are willing to sacrifice the child to get more federal bucks. About ten years ago, I heard a woman on radio who said that her husband's family had been here for several generations. She was second-generation Spanish. With her history as an excuse, her child was put in a bilingual Spanish class, despite both parents speaking nothing but English at home.

She said that in her school district, they NEEDED more children in the bilingual class in order to maintain their federal handout.