Measure 58
Jeff Alworth
Title: Prohibits teaching public schools student in language other than English for more than two years
Sponsor: Bill Sizemore, Alan Grosso
Type: Statutory
What it Does: Prohibits public schools from teaching students in their native language beyond one year in elementary school or two years in high school
What it Costs: Projected to cost $250 million in first two years for developing a curriculum and hiring and training new teachers
Discussion
Apparently, professional educators are pinheads. They don't know how to teach English to non-native speakers. Fortunately, we have Bill Sizemore and his incisive ability to bring common-sense solutions to easy problems. In this case, limit the amount of time students have to study English and they'll learn faster. Voila, problem solved!
Two things. One, it turns out this isn't actually a huge problem. As the Oregonian reports, 85% of these students are already taught exclusively in English. Two, the children who are taught partly in their native language learn English faster and manage to stay caught up on other subjects. This is a solution in search of a problem, offered by a man with no business writing education policy.
I don't mean to minimize debate on this issue. Bringing students fluency in English is a goal of educators and one they don't take lightly. For more reading on the subject, have a look at that Oregonian piece and this one by Oregon Public Broadcasting. For a more biased (though informed) view, have a look at the Oregon Education Association's opinion.
What should be minimized is the notion that this measure has anything to do with education. Rather, it's a bank-shot effort to enrage partisans about immigrants. The only backers are the far-right (FreedomWorks) and anti-immigrant (Oregonians for Immigration Reform) groups. This is a cynical effort to further divide people and gin up anti-immigrant sentiment. I couldn't find a single newspaper that supported it, and everyone involved in education in Oregon--the PTA, school superintendents, school administrators, employees, and teachers--oppose it. This is "citizen" petitioning at its worst, and Oregonians should be offended that Sizemore's clogging up the ballot with Measure 58. It richly deserves a no vote.
Discuss.
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connect with blueoregon
Oct 13, '08
This is one of those measures where I end up not thinking about the measure so much (no brainer - NO!), but rather about the ease with which a convicted racketeer like Sizemore can manipulate the process.
Perhaps we need to revisit the threshold needed for initiative measures. Or does Sizemore just go away if all of his measures fail?
He does have an ability to play fear cards - race, class warfare, etc. and he does have an axe to grind about the education community (maybe because he owes them around a $1 million?) Should people who play on fear and take out their anger using initiatives be allowed to spend so much public money on this?
Really, shouldn't initiatives be just a little harder to get going?
5:32 p.m.
Oct 13, '08
I'm with you, Steve. This is really a slap in the face to voters who have to wade through a dozen measures. It's the worst of all worlds: it's recycled, disingenuous, and mean-spirited.
I couldn't figure out how to work it into this post, but Chuck Currie, the blogger and pastor, co-sponsored a statement by the United Church of Christ that reads, in part:
"However, legislative proposals making their way to the November 2008 ballot in Oregon will further divide our communities and increase hate, fear, and racism, thus contributing to anti-immigrant sentiment, by attacking an already vulnerable people..."
I couldn't agree more.
5:38 p.m.
Oct 13, '08
If it were to pass, it could have unintended consequences. For instance, El Puente, a Spanish immersion school in North Clackamas, would have to close.Then again, maybe that is intended.Why should kids learn more than one language anyway ?
Alan Grosso is a Happy Valley resident who backs a lot of conservative causes but I don't know much about him.
Oct 13, '08
Does anyone know if this will effect Ebonics?
We have an after school Ebonics class for TAG kids.
9:00 p.m.
Oct 13, '08
Considering how poorly written the measure is and how little Grosso, Sizemore and Walker spent on promoting it, I am inclined to think that it was merely a GOTV effort by the right.
Hal: Whatever.
Oct 13, '08
As someone who teaches in Woodburn, perhaps the community in Oregon that would be most affected by this, I'll say that its about the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Many of our kids would suffer. And I'm not just talking about the Latino kids, either. Any foreign language immersions that your white kids are in will be illegal, too.
Oct 14, '08
Sizemore: NO Mannix: NO Parks: NO OCA: NO McIntyre: NO Constitutional Amendment: NO Legislative Referral (excluding housecleaning items): NO
This message brought to you by it's simple simplicity.
Oct 14, '08
Here is an experiment the state should try....eliminate the extra funding for the non-English speaking children and see how fast they become English proficient.
Oct 14, '08
Smells like a get-out-the-vote initiative to me....
Sizemore is probably hoping to get the knuckle draggers to vote, so they'll cast a ballot for one of his anti-union measures.
5:42 p.m.
Oct 14, '08
mp97303, It's been tried, and the answer is slower on average with less learning and more drop-outs down the line.
Oct 14, '08
Mr. Lowe
Do you have a source for that? I would be curious to study up on this topic prior to casting my vote.
Nov 5, '08
I think this is a great measure. and believe that America is ment to have one language not 2 or 3, in the old days you had to learn English to be even allowed to think of coming to this great nation. and i truly believe we need to go back to that way of life. god bless America. not mex-America. if any body has any comments they wish to share please do my e-mail is [email protected]. thank you Theodore E. Elliott
Nov 5, '08
I think this is a great measure. and believe that America is ment to have one language not 2 or 3, in the old days you had to learn English to be even allowed to think of coming to this great nation. and i truly believe we need to go back to that way of life. god bless America. not mex-America. if any body has any comments they wish to share please do my e-mail is [email protected]. thank you Theodore E. Elliott
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