Chapter 5: A Retrospective Look at California'S Implementation of Proposition 227: Focus on Bilingual Teacher Education and Student Performance

Over ten years have passed since the California electorate passed Proposition 227, the so-called Unz initiative of 1998, which limits instructional use of students’ primary languages but allows bilingual programs if adequate numbers of parents request an alternative to English-only instruction. This chapter examines the types of instructional services provided to English language learners (ELLs) in California public schools; bilingual teacher certification in the pre-Proposition 227 and post-Proposition 227 eras, with attention to the 1998–2008 years; Senate Bill 2042 and the bilingual teacher education programs in California; and the school performance and dropout rates of ELLs. [Note: Senate Bill 2042 (1998) led to the new professional teaching standards for the state of California as reflected in the Standards for Quality and Effectiveness for Professional Teacher Preparation programs, California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (2001)].