Testimony on H.R. 2682, the Bilingual Education Improvement Act of 1983

Al Shanker testifies before the Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary and Vocational Education of the U.S. House of Representatives. He gives AFT's endorsement to H.R. 2682, a bill to reform the current bilingual education legislation. He highlights four points from the bill that he believes will improve the current situation. They are: that bilingual instructional techniques will be determined by individual schools and school systems, rather than be mandated by the federal government; allowing funds to be used for purposes other than pure instruction like teacher training and acquisition of permanent capabilities; targeting the funds to children whose usual language is not English, rather than to all students who are not proficient in English; and the inclusion of vocational projects for students not proficient in English. Additionally, the bill would require teachers to be fluent in English as well as the student's language, an important improvement over the current legislation. Shanker does not support the bill's reduction in funding, but he urges passage for its other elements.

Location: 
Washington, D.C.
Size: 
6 pages
Date: 
1983-06-07
Attachment(click to download)
63.76.pdf63.76.pdf294.18 KB