On a bleak night for progressive politics, there were glimmers of hope at the state level. On Nov. 8, California voters, by an overwhelming 73 percent, lifted a 20-year-old ban on bilingual education.

A little background: In 1998, software magnate Ron Unz spearheaded a successful ballot initiative that required all public school instruction be conducted in English. Eighteen years later, less than 5 percent of California public schools offer multilingual programs, according to the Los Angeles Times, even as there are now 1.4 million English language learners in the state — about 80 percent of whom speak Spanish as their first language.

It was a sink-or-swim approach to English mastery that was not based in sound pedagogy. Studies found that English language learners who had been in English-only classes had difficulty reading more challenging texts in middle school. Recent statewide test scores in California show English language learners had made no discernable improvements.

Teachers know students learn in a multitude of ways. In New York City, bilingual education programs were dismantled during the Bloomberg administration and the vast majority of English language learners were shunted into ESL programs. Under Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña, our school system is experiencing a renaissance of dual-language and bilingual offerings.

An overflow crowd of 800 educators gathered at union headquarters on Oct. 29 for “ELL Raising,” the UFT’s first English language learners conference. They learned new techniques for teaching the 150,000 students in our schools whose first language is not English. Workshop topics included using the Socratic seminar with English language learners, effective models for collaborative co-teaching, and teaching writing and math to English language learners.

We’re glad California teachers will no longer be tied to a failed policy that shortchanged their students. And we’re proud that the New York City public school system is on its way to becoming a model for how to teach English language learners.