Californians may get shot at returning bilingual education
A bill that passed the state Senate last week would return bilingual education to California public schools after an almost two decade lapse created during…
Is bilingual education worth bringing back? (Photo Shutterstock)
A bill that passed the state Senate last week would return bilingual education to California public schools after an almost two decade lapse created during the Republican immigrant-bashing of the 1990s in the Golden State.
SEE ALSO: The importance of dual language immersion programs
In that era, four years after approving the controversial anti-immigrant measure Proposition 187, voters all but wiped out bilingual instruction in California public schools.
Legislation by state Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) would now allow a new wave of voters casting ballots on the November 2016 ballot to repeal1998s Proposition 227 and permit local school districts to decide whether they want to bring back bilingual education.
Bilingual education in California
Re-implement bilingual education has gained support as studies have shown that those programs are just as effective — and often slightly better — than the current system that aims to move students toward full-time English use as quickly as possible.
English will always remain the official language of California, but we cannot ignore the growing need to have a multilingual workforce, says Lara who believes the1998 ballot measure has stifled the ability of students to become multilingual.
Children who participate in multilingual programs not only outperform their peers, they also have higher earning potential when they enter the workforce.
Research shows bilingual children have a dual-process mind. (Shutterstock)
Lara has called the old measure approved by state voters linguistic tyranny, where (politicians) decide what language our kids are going to learn.
The State Senate voted last week passed Laras legislation.
Laras bill, approved 27 to 8, is now before the State Assembly for consideration.
The research is clear that students in bilingual, multilingual programs outperform their peers in the long run, says Lara.
This bill gives control to the schools, gives control back to the experts who know clearly understand the importance of insuring that our kids learn multiple languages.
Opponents argue that returning to bilingual education programs would worsen the states high drop-out rate, which is partly caused by a large number of students being unable to read and understand English.
You are putting children out who are functionally illiterate in two languages, Republican Sen. Jim Nielsen of Gerber said of bilingual education. English is the common language of this country. It is how we do business all over the world.
Proposition 187, which established a state-run immigration status screening system and prohibited undocumented immigrants from using health care, public education, and other social services, was eventually ruled unconstitutional by courts.
Proposition 227 imposed a wide range of restrictions on bilingual education, essentially banning it.
But over the past 16 years, research has turned public opinion with studies showing that supporting childrens home language in early years is critical to later academic achievement and results in better outcomes than English-only programs.
Extensive research has shown that students who build strong biliteracy skills (in English and one or more other languages) have higher academic success, a foundation for increased salary earnings, and stronger cognitive skills as they grow older, says Jan Gustafson-Corea of the California Association for Bilingual Education.
Californians Together — a coalition of parents, teachers, education advocates and civil rights groups is also supporting Laras legislation.
It is critical for California to enable public schools to educate their students mulitlingually, says Shelly Spiegel-Coleman, executive director of the Californians Together group.
Becoming biliterate will not only give students a valuable 21st Century skill, but also celebrate diversity and multiculturalism and recognize that languages are an asset to our nation and society.
SEE ALSO: More benefits of bilingualism discovered
