proposition 227

The result of California election on June 4th, 1998 was predicted all along. Proposition 227, also known as the anti-bilingual education measure, won in 61% favorable to 39% unfavorable contest. In a seemingly routine contest, the proposition brought out one of the most disparaging groups of supporters and critics, displaying passion for their causes in rallies, forums, debates and TV ads. This paper examines proposition 227 and its controversy. Then, it proposes what might have been a compromise that satisfied …

…teachers, some of $50 million will be spent to train current teachers for English language classrooms with LEP children and tutoring LEP children. In addition, current bilingual teachers will be allowed to tutor both LEP children and English learners as many years as assessed as appropriate by both the teacher and the school. Satisfying both the teachers and the parents through amending the proposition should lead to a better education, which is an unintended positive outcome.