Sam Farr: “Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my very strong opposition to the amendment from the gentleman from Wisconsin. The…”

“Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my very strong opposition to the amendment from the gentleman from Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has rightly decided that our children are entitled to an education, no matter what their origins. This legislation would eliminate a program that has been a proven success and its impact would be highly discriminatory on those who cannot defend themselves--our children. The main goal of bilingual education is to teach children to be competent in English. Studies show: That bilingual education increases odds for a child's success; Studies show that teaching children in their native language does not interfere with their learning English; Studies show that native language instruction helps children keep up with students already being taught in English--English only instruction does not; and Studies show that parents of bilingual education children are more likely to get involved in their children's education if bilingual instruction is used in schools. When people say that their grandfather was an immigrant and he succeeded economically without bilingual education, they must remember that years ago the labor pool was a lot less educated and skilled than it is today.”