On Capitol Hill, Congress Takes Up Bilingual Ed. Debate

By David J. Hoff

Washington

California's heated debate over bilingual education echoed in the halls of Congress last week.

Even as House Republicans started work on a bill that would mandate a major overhaul of federal bilingual education programs to emphasize English-language instruction, six GOP senators planned to introduce a resolution calling for Americans to learn more than one language and for immigrants to retain their native tongues.

The debate in Washington will likely come to a head after California voters decide on June 2 whether to replace nearly all bilingual education in the state with "sheltered English immersion" instruction. ( "Calif. Battle Goes Beyond Bilingual Ed.," ...