News Summary
Amid a rising demand from English learners, Boston Public Schools is gradually expanding its bilingual education programs. With about one-third of its 48,000 students being English learners, the district plans to add five teachers for a new dual language program. However, challenges remain for students like Camila Ordoñez, who struggle with limited access to bilingual resources. Despite criticism of existing programs, BPS aims to enhance bilingual offerings and increase the number of bilingual educators by 2032-33 to better support its multilingual student body.
Boston is seeing an expansion of bilingual education programs in its public schools amid an increasing demand from English learners, a demographic that now makes up about one-third of the 48,000 students in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) system. With a steady influx of immigrant families, BPS is striving to keep pace with the needs of its multicultural student body, especially in the early grades, where roughly half of pre-K and kindergarten entrants are English learners.
In response to this growing challenge, the district plans to enhance its bilingual offerings gradually. For the next academic year, BPS will add five new teachers to its existing bilingual education staff, allowing 220 kindergarten and first-grade students to participate in a newly established dual language program recognized for its quality bilingual education. However, many students like Camila Ordoñez, an 8-year-old girl from Guatemala, still find it hard to access these programs.
Camila entered BPS in 2021 but faced difficulties transitioning from Dever Elementary to Blackstone Elementary due to her limited English proficiency. Her mother, Herminia Ordoñez, noted the lack of bilingual options available in the system, which complicates the transition for families like theirs. Currently, the majority of English learners are placed in English immersion programs, with restricted access to bilingual instruction.
Research indicates that this approach may not be sufficient, particularly as less than 30% of English learners and former English learners meet or exceed the state’s standardized test scores in Math and Science. Concerns over academic achievement prompted the resignation of a BPS task force dedicated to advising on English learner needs in protest against the district’s new inclusion model, which separates English learners for direct English instruction rather than offering dedicated bilingual programs.
Plans for future expansion are underway, with an ambitious goal for BPS to employ 40 additional teachers and serve 1,060 more students in bilingual or multilingual classrooms by the 2032-33 school year. While this initiative shows promise, it is accompanied by criticism of existing programs, which are viewed as insufficient to support students from diverse language backgrounds adequately. There are calls from education advocates and community leaders for an increased number of bilingual educators and tailored bilingual programs to adequately meet the needs of these students.
To further these efforts, BPS is implementing a new Teacher Pipeline program aimed at recruiting and training more bilingual educators, reflecting the linguistic diversity of its student population. Joelle Gamere, who heads the multilingual office, has indicated that investments in bilingual education have risen significantly over the last 18 months even though new classroom opportunities remain limited.
Efforts to improve bilingual education in Boston date back to a 2010 review that found BPS was violating the rights of English learners. Subsequent initiatives, such as the LOOK Act of 2017, have aimed to increase the use of home languages in the classroom, but many believe more is needed. Starting in the 2025-26 school year, seven BPS schools are set to offer bilingual programs, with expectations for further growth in subsequent years.
As families like the Ordoñezs weigh their educational options, Herminia is considering moving Camila to a nearby charter school to secure the bilingual support that appears lacking in upper grades. With mounting urgency to address these educational challenges, BPS and various stakeholders continue to seek solutions to improve the experience and outcomes for Boston’s English learners.
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Additional Resources
- Boston Globe: Bilingual BPS English Learners
- Wikipedia: Bilingual Education
- Boston Herald: Bilingual Education a Must for BPS Students
- Google Search: Bilingual Education Boston
- Dot News: BPS Offers Pipelines for ESL Special Education
- Google Scholar: Bilingual Education Boston Public Schools
- Boston Globe: Opinion on Bilingual Education BPS
- Encyclopedia Britannica: English Language Learning
- Boston Globe: Massachusetts Migrants and English Learner Dual Language
- Google News: Boston Public Schools Bilingual Education
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BOSTON STAFF WRITER The BOSTON STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at HEREBoston.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in Boston, Suffolk County, and beyond. Specializing in "news you can use," we cover essential topics like product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise drawn from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates. We deliver top reporting on high-value events such as Boston Marathon, Head of the Charles Regatta, and Boston Harborfest. Our coverage extends to key organizations like the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Massachusetts, plus leading businesses in finance, biotech, and insurance that power the local economy such as Fidelity Investments, Biogen, and Liberty Mutual Insurance. As part of the broader HERE network, we provide comprehensive, credible insights into Massachusetts's dynamic landscape.
