Proposition 227- Initiative that becomes Question 2 in Mass.

Here is an archived article which talks about Proposition 227 the bill that Massachusetts follows on the 2002 ballot for "English Only Classrooms"

This article starts out by talking about how bilingual education was once seen as a humane and sound method used for immigrant assimilation. The words used in the very first sentence struck me as strong and the inappropriate use of words. It is highlights the issue of assimilation and how immigrants because they are in America should learn English immediately and become more American. Although the first sentence was meant to be an embracive statement regarding bilingual education is says a lot of how bilingual education was viewed. Instead, of highlighting how bilingual education helps students maintain their heritage and cultural language and that foundation in language has been shown to help in second language acquisition those against bilingual education believe that it does not help students because statistical evidence has backed up this instructional approach. Those who are against bilingualism typically highlight high latinos HS dropout rates. People have also expressed how they feel that bilingual education holds back student potential because students are learning two languages at the same time. They also argue that there is no REAL transition into English and the latinos/immigrant population never fully immerse themselves into the American culture. Another fault this article has is that it assumes the position that all bilingual students or English Language Learners are immigrant children when in fact, there are children who are English language learners who are citizens but have parents who are not native to America.

The overarching ideology presented throughout the article is this notion that bilingual education is unsuccessful with helping 'immigrant' children to assimilate into American culture through language.

The article also leaves out how bilingual education was viewed as beneficial and the importance of building on students prior knowledge. It also doesn't discuss how long it takes for anyone who is learning a second language to gain full use of the language conversational and academic.