Proposition 58: Many Languages Can Be Spoken Here

7 years ago Feature

PalacioMagazine.com has been working with the California State University, Long Beach Political Science class of Professor Som Chounlamountry to gather Voter Voices on Proposition 58. On November 8th, voters will speak. We wanted to hear their opinions ahead of the election. The students were asked to interview fellow students, family members, teachers or random people on the street.

Team A is composed of Amanda Killian, Bianca Salgado, Cameron Long and Diana Zepeda. Their assignment was Proposition 58: English Proficiency. Multilingual Education.

The Proposition 58 Details

California Proposition 58 is a proposition that repeal the 1998 Proposition 227, titled “English in Public Schools.” Preserves requirement that public schools ensure students obtain English language proficiency. Requires school districts to solicit parent/community input in developing language acquisition programs. Requires instruction to ensure English acquisition as rapidly and effectively as possible. Authorizes school districts to establish dual–language immersion programs for both native and non–native English speakers.

Voter Voices

The Arguments For and Against Proposition 58

Pro Argument:

Teachers, parents, school principals, local school board members, and Governor Jerry Brown support Proposition 58 to help students learn English as quickly as possible and expand opportunities for English speakers to master a second language.
Proposition 58 gives school districts local control to choose the most effective instruction methods for their students

This proposition will “restore local control to our schools and give parents a bigger voice”. It will remove decades-old legal restrictions enforced on local school districts. This will allow the school districts to choose the most effective language instruction methods to help our students learn.

Con Argument:

It has been known that children don’t learn as fast as they could, if two languages are being taught. US English Chairperson Mauro Mujica said, “In the United States, English proficiency should be the primary objective.” This is true because in today’s workforce, jobs require that individuals talk in English since it’s a universal language in the United States.

Knowing English to its full potential is not only good for the students now, but for their future careers. Keeping the schools how they are now has worked out fine. We need to embrace teaching them in just the English language, in order to get everyone on track and on the same page.