I was absolutely shocked at Caroline Linton’s latest column (Question 2 is wrong and racist, October 30th). Ms. Linton demonstrated a fundamental misunderstanding of both English immersion programs and of the intentions of those who support Ballot Question 2. Bilingual education is a fundamentally flawed concept. In California, Colorado, and many other states, children who are placed in English immersion programs far outperform their peers in bilingual education programs. In California alone, English immersion students not only preformed 44% better then their bilingual peers in reading, but outperformed them in ALL other major subject areas- including math, spelling, and language. In other words, not only are bilingual education students not learning English, but they are being cheated out of a good education in other subjects as well. Like it or not, English is the language that is used for almost everything in this country. If Ms. Linton thinks that a student who is not taught how to speak English will succeed in the United States, she’s incredibly naïve.
Supporting Question 2 isn’t a matter of “racism”, and I’m extremely offended that Ms. Linton insinuated that it was. It’s quite the opposite- I, like the majority of Massachusetts voters, support Question 2 because I want immigrant children to be able to succeed in this country. That requires that they know how to speak English, and bilingual education has been proven as an ineffective way to teach immigrant children the language that they will need to be successful here in the US. Many teachers support Question 2, and those that don’t are only afraid that they will be sued for damages if they continue to use bilingual education- a fear that is completely unjustified if they comply with the law and teach children English instead of leaving them trapped in the failed bilingual education system. Ms. Linton’s ridiculous notion that Question 2 is a matter of “cultural imperialism” is misguided and outrageous. It’s people like Ms. Linton that ensure that immigrant children are trapped in failed bilingual education systems, where they remain uneducated and doomed to low-skill, low-paying jobs. Question 2 is about making sure that all children in Massachusetts are taught English and given the tools that they need to succeed in the United States.
Kati Borden President, Boston University College Republicans 617-230-8635 KBorden@bu.edu
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