The areas that were receiving a lot of immigrants of school age tended to have more outflows from public schools into private schools. The study did not explore reasons for the flight. But Fairlie speculates that Americans worry that schools with a lot of immigrants spend money on bilingual education at the expense of the education of native-born children. The study comes two months before a key referendum on bilingual education. Californians are to vote in June on a ban of bilingual education in the state's public schools.
Polls show overwhelming support.
Thomas Saenz, regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Los Angeles, finds the report depressing. It raises serious concerns about segregation in education and about racial interaction generally. Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, says it's important for public schools to retain a level of diversity and a strong political and tax base. Casserly says intolerance is at the heart of the movement. People invent all types of codes for their decisions, but if that's not at the heart of it, I don't know what is.