The ELPAC Report June 2002

In Context
Crawford Calls Bilingual Education "Dead"

Ed. Note: Jim Crawford is a writer who has long championed bilingual education and attacked those who support English as an official language.
This recent piece is noteworthy because it reinforces the political effect of California's switch from bilingual education to teaching kids in English. In this piece, Crawford says that federal programs will switch from native language instruction to teaching.
Some excerpts:

Obituary
The Bilingual Education Act
1968 - 2002
by James Crawford
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jwcrawford/t7obit.htm

"Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which transformed the way language-minority children are taught in the United States promoting equal access to the curriculum, training a generation of educators, and fostering achievement among students expired quietly on January 8 [2002]. The law was 34 years old.

"Its death was not unexpected, following years of attacks by enemies and recent desertions by allies in Congress

"Federal funds will continue to support the education of English language learners (ELLs). But the money will be spent in new ways, supporting programs likely to be quite different from those funded under Title VII. One thing is certain: the rapid teaching of English will take precedence at every turn. 'Accountability' provisions, such as judging schools by the percentage of ELLs reclassified as fluent in English each year, are expected to discourage the use of native- language instruction.

"This marks a 180-degree reversal in language policy."

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