Initiative Essay -- Education Educational Papers

Initiative The aftermath of Proposition 227, formally titled the English Language for Immigrant Children Initiative, is as varied as the bilingual teaching methods it replaces. The issue of how to educate limited English proficient (or LEP) children has become so politicized that the research on the subject is difficult to interpret. However, two aspects that appear to be problematic for all of California’s school districts are the vague language of the initiative (which is now law), and the lack of methodology for the new "sheltered immersion" programs. The resulting confusion has created a bilingual education system more fragmented than ever. According to the state Department of Education, approximately 1.4 of the 5.5 million school children in the United States are classified as LEP. Of those 1.4 million children, eighty percent are Spanish speaking and the remainder identify fifty-three other languages as their primary language (Prop #227 1). Prior to the passage of proposition 227, 70 percent of California’s LEP students received instruction primarily in English, including 31 percent who received specialized instruction in English only, 22 percent received specialized instruction in English with some primary language support, and 17 percent receive no specialized services: The remaining 30 percent were in traditional bilingual classrooms and received a great deal of instruction in their primary languages (Prop #227 1). It is clear from the variety of services that had been offered (or not) that "bilingual education" varied greatly in the amount of primary language support that was used. It was also only used to teach approximately 50 percent of the LED student population. The amount of primary language support is t... ...ll Kemper. "Sheltered Immersion: Contrasts and Controversy". 1-4. Online. Internet. November 14,1998. Available http://coe.sdsu.edu/people/jmora/pages/seivcanadian.html. "Proposition #227: English Language in Public Schools". 1-9. Online. internet. November 15,1998. Available http://www.sen.cagov/ftp/sen/sor/_home/educate/prop227.htm. Puente, Maria, Carol Morello. "Bilingual Battle Still Rages In Classroom". USA Today. November 13,1998: News; 4A. Online. Internet. November 15,1998. Available http://web.lexis- nexis.com/universe/doc...23&md5=84077f81fr06bb22396cd3alf8be5ed8. Ramirez, Jaime. Telephone interview. December 1,1998. Terry, Don. "Bilingual Education Lives After All". New York Times. October 3, 1998: Section A; 7. Online. Internet. November 7,1998. Available http://web.lexis- nexis.com/universe/doc...ae&_md5=11a5d46e28d2958c8088df8df8267172c64.