Yes on Prop. 58
Summer is officially over, and fall is now in full swing. Starbucks is offering its fall blend coffees and you can’t help but think of fall when entering the local grocery store as you’re bombarded with scents of pumpkin spice and cinnamon. Fall also means one other thing: voting time is near. The California General Election is on November 8th, so now’s the time to get informed on all the propositions. Anyone seeking to improve the education in California’s schools should pay particular attention to this year’s propositions. On the ballot this year is Proposition 58, a potential game changer when it comes to how children are educated in California’s public schools. Prop. 58 “authorizes school districts to establish dual–language immersion programs for both native and non–native English speakers.” Some of you might not know whether this is a good or bad thing, and if you’re anything like me, you may not want or simply don’t have the time to do hours upon hours of investigative research to get informed. Luckily for you, I did the research and have come up with 3 reasons why you should vote ‘Yes’ on Prop. 58 come November 8th.
1) Prop. 58 repeals Prop. 227 which restricts the the instructional methods teachers can use to teach English. Bilingual programs were severely impacted by this proposition as many of the programs were reduced or cut altogether, making English-only instruction often the teacher’s only choice. With nearly 23% of California public school students being English language learners (kidsdata.org), the number of students that were and continue to be affected by this detrimental change is significant.
2) Prop. 58 gives the control back to the local school districts, putting teachers back in charge. Imagine a construction worker on a job site. He has his toolbox filled with all kinds of tools: a hammer, nails, a drill, screws, a saw, a tape measure, and so on. If you give him some wood planks and told him to make a box, he might first saw the planks to size only after carefully measuring with his tape measure. He would then have the option of drilling the box together with his drill and screws, or hammering it together with his nails and hammer. Either way, he can successfully construct the wooden box. Imagine taking away all of his tools except for the hammer, nails, and saw, and asking him to make the same box. Now the simple box is not so simple to make anymore. He might still be able to make the box, but restricting what tools he could use would undoubtedly hamper the building process and likely cause a decline in the overall quality of the box. Denying a bilingual teacher from using a second language in their classroom teaching is doing this same thing. Language is an invaluable tool that is vital for fostering effective education. Some students might learn English better with the “hammer and nail” approach like the English-only immersion programs. Others might have more success acquiring English through a “drill and screw” approach such as the bilingual programs Prop. 58 would allow. Regardless of which method of English language acquisition is claimed to be better, under Prop. 58, teachers would now have the power to choose and would be allowed to use all the tools they have at their disposal.
3) Prop. 58 benefits not only non-native English speakers, but native English speaking students as well. Prop 58 would allow native English speakers more opportunities to learn a second language by getting rid of the barriers Prop. 227 imposed on bilingual and multilingual education programs. Students who are proficient in 2 or more languages often:
1. have greater levels of academic success
2. are more attractive to future employers
3. are more prepared for social dealings on a global setting
Prop. 58 allows students the advantage of learning a second language so they can stay ahead in a world that is becoming more and more competitive and diverse.
The California school system, and really the United States educational system in general, has relied on monolingual education for the greater part of its existence. I, myself, as a student who was taught in English from kindergarten until my senior year in high school, can attest to the fact that English is the only language of emphasis currently in schools. After learning Spanish in my adult years and seeing how much of an asset it is to me in my everyday life, I realize how much I could have gained had I learned it earlier. Prop. 58 gives students the opportunity to learn a second language in school; an opportunity that myself and all public school students were deprived of. Additionally, it also provide non-native English speakers more options for more effectively learning English. Okay, now that you’ve gotten your crash course on Prop. 58, I hope to see you out there at the polls casting your vote for a better, multilingual educational school system.