Dual language programs have increased in Arizona after the state passed a law in 2019 to counter the effects of Proposition 203, the state’s English-only immersion education law.
While Proposition 203 requires students who are not proficient in English to be taught only in English immersion language acquisition programs rather than bilingual and other programs that teach students in more than one language, a study co-authored by Jeff MacSwan, professor of applied linguistics and language education, Kellie Rolstad, associate professor of education, and colleagues from SUNY at Fredonia and Arizona State University, found that students previously enrolled in English immersion instruction fell further behind academically later in school compared to fluent English speakers.
