Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, too many students are being overlooked by our education system. These students are emergent bilinguals, a group that makes up 10 percent of the K-12 student population. In the law, we refer to them as English learners, students whose native language is one other than English and who are not yet English proficient. But when we call students ELs day to day, we ignore the important fact that they are already proficient in another language, whether it is Spanish, Chinese, or Arabic. As these students learn English, they become bilingual, and bilingualism is an incredible asset in our global society. We benefit, and we need to shift our view of emergent bilinguals and recognize their great potential. We must recognize that by investing in their success, we all benefit. Sarah Hesson, a Rhode Island educator, introduced me to the term ``emergent bilinguals,'' and I encourage my colleagues to use it as well and to celebrate students' emerging bilingualism. After all, it is a gift that will empower students to become more successful later in life. ____________________”