Ever since California's voters approved the 1998 initiative replacing bilingual education with so-called English immersion, students in California who speak limited English have been taught mostly in English.
New data show impressive gains in reading and math.
For example, in Oceanside, California, Spanish-speaking students saw their test scores increase by as much as 50 percent over the past two years. The school district's superintendent initially strongly opposed English immersion, but is now one of its staunchest supporters. The initiative grew out of a protest by Latino parents in Los Angeles who wanted their children to learn English. Some argue that failing schools should simply be given more money. However, we know this doesn't necessarily give us better schools.