Immigrants come here with a dream of freedom and success, but their best chance of being successful in this country is by becoming as proficient as possible in English.
Education is the ladder of success for immigrants, it is the fast-track to the American dream.
It is essential that we do everything possible to give the children of immigrants every chance to succeed. Last week, the Board of Education took a step in the right direction by adopting reforms that create an English immersion program and empower parents to choose between traditional bilingual instruction and English immersion. The Board of Education reports that English immersion works best for young students. In contrast, traditional bilingual programs have a far lower success rate. But until now, they have not had that choice.