Learning English, But Lost In Translation

Since a law was passed in 2002, kids learning English in these schools are doing much worse than before.   - - Donna Poisl

By Asma Khalid

BOSTON — The English-language learning population is the fastest-growing demographic in the Massachusetts public school system. But it’s also consistently the worst performing, with the lowest MCAS scores and the highest dropout rates.

This school year, the Massachusetts Department of Education is rolling out a new program that aims to train thousands of teachers to help non-English-speaking students.

The mandated teacher training program has grand ambitions to improve student performance, but the changes come with a long, complicated history. In order to understand why the state is training some 30,000 teachers, you have to look back at 2002.

Eleven years ago, voters in Massachusetts approved a ballot referendum that essentially banned bilingual education for kids who enter the public school system and don’t speak English. It passed overwhelmingly, with almost 70 percent of the vote.
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