Let's Tell the Public the Truth about Bilingual Education

A large percentage of children in bilingual education come from low-income families. A true book flood in the form of vastly improved school and classroom libraries would have a dramatic effect.

I suggest a three-step plan (see Krashen, 2003b):

(1)	Early reading in the first language, which provides a short cut to English reading. Of course, many programs are doing this already, but they are hampered by the fact that books in the primary language are not plentiful (Pucci, 1994). This needs to change.
(2)	Something we are not emphasizing: Massive recreational reading in both languages as soon as students can read independently, as soon as they reach the "Goosebumps Threshold." This will provide a huge boost in test scores; it is test preparation the legitimate way.
(3)	Continued reading in the heritage language, to insure continued growth in the heritage language and the lasting benefits of true bilingualism (Tse, 2001).

Thanks to the anti-bilingual education initiatives, however, this path is harder to take. In California, access to books in Spanish in communities where English learners live has been reduced (Pucci & Ulanoff, 2004), and despite lip-service on the importance of libraries (e.g. the Laura Bush Foundation) library funding has not improved. In California, in fact, the state with the lowest reading scores, library funding has dropped from insufficient to absolutely dismal. In 1992, California's fourth graders ranked last in the US in reading. At that time, California was spending half of what other states spent on school libraries. Today, in 2004, California is still ranked last among the states in the US, despite the huge push for increased skills in language arts classes. And next year California is planning to spend only 3% of the national average on school libraries, ignoring the considerable research showing that better school libraries are related to higher reading scores.

Suggestions

Here are my "radical" suggestions:

1.	A vigorous attempt to explain bilingual education to the public, why it works to help children acquire English as well as the fact that it works. In other words, let's tell the public the truth about bilingual education.
2.	University-level researchers and scholars devote their efforts to core issues in bilingual education.
3.	Improved school libraries, providing more to read in both languages. This will result in more recreational reading and more language acquisition and literacy development, and even better results from our bilingual programs.