Page Title

Education. Educación. Erziehung. Educação.

Proposition 227 Debate

What is Proposition 227?

YES!!!

From the perspective of California (primary98.sos.ca.gov):

-For most of California's non-English speaking students, bilingual education actually means monolingual, SPANISH-ONLY education for the first 4 to 7 years of school.

-The current system fails to teach children to read and write English. Last year, only 6.7 percent of limited-English students in California learned enough English to be moved into mainstream classes.

-Latino immigrant children have the lowest test scores and highest dropout rates.

-There are 140 different languages spoken by immigrant children in California so it is impossible to teach every child appropriately.

-Learning a language is much easier for children especially if the child is immersed in that language.

-If someone does not know English, they will suffer in the long run when it comes time to communicate with others and get a job. It prevents them from becoming successful members in society.

So has Proposition 227 been successful or not?

No Conclusive Evidence

Test Scores Soar After Proposition 227

Final Report of California Department of Education on Proposition 227

NO!!!

From the perspective of California Legislators (primary98.sos.ca.gov):

-Puts limited English speaking children of all ages and languages into one classroom.

-The California PTA opposes Proposition 227 because it takes away parents' right to choose what's best for their children.

-California's teachers oppose Proposition 227--teachers can be sued personally for teaching in the children's language to help them learn English.

-A growing number of school districts are working with new English teaching methods. Proposition 227 stops them.

-The California School Boards Association opposes Proposition 227 because it outlaws the best local programs for teaching English.

-Many of the older bilingual education programs continue to have great success. In other communities some schools are succeeding with English immersion and others with dual language immersion programs. Teaching children English is the primary goal, no matter what teaching method they're using.

From a teacher's perspective (bjr.asu.edu):

-It has become more difficult for teachers to locate primary language teaching materials.

-Materials in English were not readily available. A teacher explains:

We were not allowed to use our brand new Spanish classroom sets of basals and workbooks. We were not allowed to use Spanish, and yet there was nothing comparable with English to replace the Spanish language arts program. We were without proper materials.

-Programs seem more vulnerable to the principals' whims than they once were.