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NY Mayor Surrenders On English Reversing his position on how children who do not speak English should be taught, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced on June 25 that he would no longer support classes in which students are immersed in English. As a candidate for mayor in 2001, Bloomberg had favored immersion. The New York Times newspaper reports that Bloomberg's "change in position, people involved in drafting the plan said, reflected careful political maneuvering to avoid angering Hispanic voters who helped elect him and whose support he will need to win a second term." Indeed, when Bloomberg made his announcement, said the Times, he was joined by "Hispanic politicians and leaders of Hispanic advocacy groups." Bloomberg's failure to support immersion over so-called "transitional" classes where students are taught in languages other than English flies in the face of California's recent experience. After voters rejected bilingual education in favor of immersion, student test scores skyrocketed, and at least one Hispanic politician who opposed immersion was recalled from office. 
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The
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