Proposition 227 May End Bilingual Education In California
Bilingual education has been for 30 years a mainstay of California public schools–the pedagogical equivalent of Ellis Island for immigrant kids. But on June 2–if recent polls are correct–voters may end that tradition by passing Proposition 227, which gives kids just a year to learn English before they enter regular classes.
The vote is being watched around the country as a survival test of bilingual instruction. Last month Chicago imposed a strict limit on its bilingual classes; a similar proposal has spawned a fierce debate in Denver. But California is critical not only because it is the nation’s largest school system but also because it has the most kids for whom English is a second language. About 1.4 million students are in bilingual classes this year; some educators think millions more–mostly Spanish speakers–need extra help.
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