San Diego Unified has offered bilingual immersion programs since the ’70s.

Historically they’ve served students from middle-class and affluent neighborhoods whose parents want them to pick up a new language.

But at Sherman Elementary, nearly 100 percent of students come from low-income families.

The school’s program has seen success and one might assume that means it’s being replicated at other schools in the district. It’s not, thanks to a state law that makes it hard to teach kids in languages other than English.

The district has opened a couple new bilingual programs to meet parent demand but a measure on the November ballot could change the rules, helping clear the way for more schools like Sherman.

On this week’s San Diego Explained, VOSD’s Mario Koran and NBC 7 San Diego’s Monica Dean talk about the past, present and future of bilingual education programs.

Kinsee Morlan

Kinsee Morlan was formerly the Engagement Editor at Voice of San Diego and author of the Culture...

Leave a comment

We expect all commenters to be constructive and civil. We reserve the right to delete comments without explanation. You are welcome to flag comments to us. You are welcome to submit an opinion piece for our editors to review.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.