One of the major challenges in bilingual education is in teaching science up to state standards.  Many states mandate the use of science education as an ESL component to their curriculum, requiring examinations and lessons to be conducted in English.  As part of an NSF-GK12 funded research program at Texas A&M University we have begun an active role in schools which score lowly in STEM areas at the 5^th grade level.  Chemistry can provide a key role in engaging the interest of students as well as being capable of applications to all general areas of science.  By teaching fundamental principles of chemistry combined with hands on activities, this engages students will all levels of English proficiency.  This presentation will focus on work from this GK-12 program and will demonstrate the need and the usefulness of integrating chemistry as a tool for overcoming the language barrier through active participation in scientific projects.