English for the Children: Mandated by the People, Skewed by Politicians and Special Interests

Johanna Haver describes the movement to dislodge bilingual education as the default method for teaching English to ELL students, from Ron Unz’s English for the Children campaign in California through the establishment of the structured English immersion model in Arizona. Haver describes the political roadblocks that California, Massachusetts, Colorado, and her state, Arizona encountered on the way to reform, as well as problems that have yet to be solved.

Johanna Haver is an exceptionally brilliant education advocate and an outstanding writer. In this book she shows how the education bureaucracy will go to any lengths to keep the federal money flowing, even if its effects are destructive, and keep Hispanic children in a condition that deprives them of their independence but always in need of more government assistance. She further shows how useless and even destructive bilingual education methods can be. This is a must read for anyone who cares whether Hispanic kids ever learn to speak English.

Johanna Haver provides a lively history of one of the most politically sensitive arenas in public policy: bilingual education. The early promise of this new way to educate non-English speaking children, its failures, the educators, politicians, ethnic activists–it’s all here and it’s not a pretty story. At the end, an inspiring view of improvements made, challenges yet to be met. My hat’s off to Johanna.

Johanna Haver’s book English for the Children should be required reading for all who profess to have the interests of English learners at heart. At a time when our education system is challenged to help newcomers become fully participating members of American life, the history of the misguided efforts to teach children in their native languages couldn’t be more timely. Haver demonstrates in full detail why delaying English acquisition harms the very children the system is supposed to help.