Chapter 10: The Success and Demise of a Khmer (Cambodian) Bilingual Education Program: A Case Study

This study describes and analyzes the factors leading to the establishment of and eventual closure of a successful Khmer bilingual program in a large southern California school district. The findings reveal that Proposition 227 was not solely responsible for ending the program. The District’s language ideology, as evidenced through its struggles to comply with state policy for English language learners, heavy emphasis on the SAT-9 exam, and adoption of Open Court phonics were found to be the key factors ultimately leading to the closure of the Khmer bilingual program, one year after the passage of Proposition 227. The bilingual program has been replaced with “sink-or-swim” English-only instruction.