Bilingual education

The Sunshine 's State Debate

Should California Assembly Allow Bilingual Education

Proposition 227 , English for the Children ' came into being by way of voter approval , June 1998 , and controversy has surrounded it ever since its implementation into the 1998-99 school year for the state of California . With changes in the educational standards set for bilingual students and specifically children of Spanish speaking immigrants , a variety of questions surrounding this begin to manifest . Is this a social problem ? Who is affected by this quandary and how widespread is it ? Is there a

decline of bilingual education ? Examination of the phenomenon , who is affected by it , the possible underlying causes of the dilemma , along with the history prior to and surrounding Proposition 227 are to be considered when attempting to answer the question of California 's Assembly allowing bilingual education to continue

Social Problem

If Spanish speaking children are heavily exposed to learning English will they have a better chance at acquiring full fluency in the language ? If they are taught English , in English , in English classrooms , and instructed to speak only English , will this methodology continue to fuel the fires surrounding anti-immigrant attitudes language-based discrimination , and racial /ethnic conflict as felt by Spanish speaking communities ? Is the concept of Proposition 227 's fast and efficient guidelines to teach children English within 180 days reasonable ? One academic year to be immersed in an SEI (Structured English Immersion ) program appears to take away from other core subjects such as Math , Science , and History . Are these same students considered fluent efficient to be mainstreamed into regular classrooms

Who is affected and how widespread is the dilemma

The United States is a diverse country that has an ever-expanding population of Spanish speaking immigrants , particularly in the California area . Some of these students are not excelling in the academic environment due to lack of English proficiency . Any student whose birth language is not English is affected , Latino students in particular , who are bilingual and /or children of immigrants . Chinese students in the San Francisco area were a target group in the early 1970 's , which in turn resulted in the Lau v . Nichols suit brought to the judicial system in 1974 . The current focus of students seems to be on Latino students , with an increase in ELL 's (English Language Learners from 29 in the beginnings of Proposition 227 to today 's post 227 37 for the 2003-04 school year . In 2002 , Jill Kerper Mora noted that California 's enrollment was 45 of the immigrant student population for the nation , as early as 1995 (30 . Olivos and Quintano de Valladolid noted in 2005 , two years prior , there was evidence showing Latino drop out rates between the ages of 16 and 19 years of age were 59 (287

The question of the dilemma doesn 't just sit with California , as other states are affected by the problem as well . Arizona (proposition 203 Colorado , New York , Florida , Massachusetts , Oregon , and Utah are feeling the affects of California...