What are the main points of contention surrounding this issue? Be sure to thoroughly discuss contrasting perspectives and the underlying reasons explaining the different positions people take on this topic.
The main arguments surrounding Prop 227, is whether or not bilingual programs should be in schools in California. Some argue that having bilingual programs doesn’t help the student to learn English, it just reinforces their native language. Also it has be said that test scores supposedly did not improve in the bilingual programs. On the other hand though, people are arguing that the English Immersion programs do not work because for smaller children they must learn how to read and write in their native language to be able to comprehend it in English. Prop 227, is a big controversy for students, teachers, parents, and administration, due to the fact that most of them have a different view on how ELLs should be educated.
The people in support of Prop 227 state that it gives them more say so in how their child is being taught in the public school system. For example “Parents or guardians may waive the above requirement if they are able to show that a child already knows English, has special needs, or would learn English faster through an alternate instructional technique.” (Linton, 2007). In this way it gives parents a better sense of control over the educational system. Over ten years, it can be said that the state will pay out $50 million per year to provide students with English tutoring. All in support, also believe that the bilingual programs are ineffective and poorly implemented and that Americans should speak English. In 1997, alone only 6.7 percent of limited- English students in California learned enough English t...
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...cultural Education 18.2 (2007): 111-128. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Nov. 2011.
• Haas, Werner. "The Pros and Cons of Bilingual Education." Associated Content . Yahoo, 1 June 2007. Web. 5 Nov. 2011.
• Elsa Valdez “Winning the Battle, Losing the War: Bilingual Teachers and Post-Proposition 227” The Urban Review
• Preserving Privilege, Jewelle Gibbs and Teiahsha Bankhead, 3/2001, pg 122-123:
• Official June 1998 Voter Pamphlet: Analysis and Arguments on Prop 227:
• Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 22, 1998 11:13 Smart Voter '98 Copyright © 1998 League of Women Voters of California Education Fund.
• http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_227,_the_%22English_in_Public_Schools%22_Initiative_(1998)
• http://primary98.sos.ca.gov/VoterGuide/Propositions/227noarg.htm
There are two sides to every Proposition because there is some good and some bad from voting or not voting this in to effect. Some Californians thought Proposition 13 was a very good idea because it restricted property taxes to the maximum rate of 1 %, which made some people happy because they were in fear of losing their house because they could not pay the taxes. This in effect took away from the schools that were in desperate need of funds for programs like music, art and other programs.
not only a social issue, but also a political and legal one as well. Opponents and
What is your position on this issue? Provide two or three reasons to support your argument
It is a real tragedy that the civil rights of a substantial group of people has been trampled upon by the passing of Proposition 8. When one looks at the reasons why people voted for it, pointless arguments taken out of context are seen. As was pointed out in many of the sources which I found on the debate about the revision, California wields a large amount of influence on how the rest of the United States, and by extension, the rest of the world views issues. It can only be hoped that that will not be the case in this instance.
...roughout his autobiography, Rodriguez illustrates the problematic conditions revolving around bilingual education programs and affirmative action, pointing out that both policies tend to negate their intentions. Rodriguez scathingly criticizes both programs correctly identifying the first as an obstacle to what he sees as the keys to success in America--a solid education and learning to speak and write English well--and the second as promoting socially crippling labels--"disadvantaged minority." Through countless arguments that a bilingual program hinders English and non-English students' education and that affirmative action accommodates only "privileged" minority students rather than the students most in need, Rodriguez's life story, Hunger of Memory, serves as a political publication meant to raise concern for the function of government in the education system.
... Promoting bilingual in the school systems at a younger age is a good thing, but the final decision should exist with the parents.
Prop 13 has been labeled as the main cause for the education systems woes, because it decreased property taxes and pushed funding responsibility for education to the state level instead of local governments. Its reform has been demanded on several occasions, it has even been referred to as an “unmitigated disaster”.(Bohnett 2010) Several other factors have had a negative impact on the California higher education system. For instance the reliance on volatile tax sources have created a roller coaster of ups and downs in funding. The initiative process has also allowed voters to delegate certain taxes for...
---. "Immigrant Students and Public Schools: A Fluent Fit - Public School Review." Public School Review - Profiles of USA Public Schools. 15 Apr. 2010. Web. 01 Feb. 2011.
...i, Jamal, and Ron Dietel. "Challenges in the No Child Left Behind Act for English-Language." Weber.edu. Phi Delta Kappan, June 2004. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
...e to districts with large number of language instruction. So with all these propositions going against bilingual students like Mariam’s daughter who was able to learn better with a bilingual instructor, Chicano students will continue to struggle in school with all the political changes going against them.
Opinion Editorial By Hassan Abdi In the article written by Richard Rodriguez, Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood, he conveys an opinion that Bilingual education doesn’t work. He conveys it through his personal experience. Published by the Phi Beta Kappa to the American Society in 1981, the audience and his message are a broad and important now as it was thirty five years ago. As the amount of children that don’t speak English as their first language continue to rise, bilingual education has become a polarizing topic like most things, and for me, I am neutral on the topic. A form of bilingual education has failed me, but, for most students it benefits in the long term, and it 's not right to dispel one side of the topic to push your own
This essay will explain both sides of the views and using critical thinking will uncover the real message the author intended to portray.
From my experience, bilingual education was a disadvantage during my childhood. At the age of twelve, I was introduced into a bilingual classroom for the first time. The crowded classroom was a combination of seventh and eighth grade Spanish-speaking students, who ranged from the ages of twelve to fifteen. The idea of bilingual education was to help students who weren’t fluent in the English language. The main focus of bilingual education was to teach English and, at the same time, teach a very basic knowledge of the core curriculum subjects: Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences. Unfortunately, bilingual education had academic, psychological, and social disadvantages for me.
Guide to California Government, Chapter 15, League of Women Voters of California, 14th Edition 1992. Retrieved from: http://www.smartvoter.org/gtg/ca/state/overview/county.html
America, a country built on immigration dating back to the early 1600s Mayflower voyage, continues to thrive as a melting pot full of various cultures and ethnicities. In the past, many immigrants came to America due to the offered freedoms and equality, yet today, many naturalized citizens suffer with injustices, including with educational practices. The use of bilingual education, which teaches students in both English and their native language, has become a controversial topic. In 1968, the Bilingual Education Act, which recognized and offered education to students who were lacking English, was passed, yet the topic still seems questionable to some. Bilingual education provides a variety of beneficial attributes to help foreigners by improving their lives as native speakers, with education benefits, health benefits, and future opportunities.