In June 1997, Proposition 227 was passed which abolished bilingual education in California. Many educational institutions are debating whether or not to incorporate bilingual education programs within their school. You are a teacher on the MPS school board. Your vote will make the decision if bilingual education will be apart of the school curriculum. There are many factors that you must consider before you make your decision.
Most bilingual classes suffer from large class sizes, lack funding, and insufficient staff.
Bilingual classrooms may have a segregating effect among Hispanic children if they are placed in different classrooms making them a minority in the classroom. Most teachers today are not trained to teach bilingual education and those that do, often use ineffective strategies and lack classroom resources. Bilingual Education is the key to success among Hispanics today. Without this type of education, the U.S. fails to promote the integration of native language among minority citizens into the American mainstream. Bilingual students feel a sense of belonging and comfort inside the school setting, which causes them to have high self-esteem.