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A 40% BA/BS rate is an admirable educational goal. I know I would have been hard-pressed to survive economically without mine. One can notice the differences between places with a higher general level of education and those with lower educational attainment. Employers have personnel pools from which to draw, and thus, a greater likelihood of investment. There are also lower levels of unemployment and its adjunct consequences. Just look at appalling high school dropout rates in places like Los Angeles and other major urban areas. What are those who fail to finish high school going to do in a (once) dynamic economy, such as Southern California and elsewhere? States should step up and make such goals public as we cannot get there unless there is such a clearly-stated goal in mind. What is important for the state of Oregon to realize is that there are big responsibilities for the state in order for such a goal to be realized. It's cliche, but the tried and true "Put your money where your mouth is" certainly is necessary to SUPPORT high schools, community colleges, and four-year colleges and universities in meeting the state's educational mandate. Community college funding, in particular, simply isn't there for such a goal to be fully realized and that is the area where the state's growing population of those unready for college work are, and will continue to be, registering for classes.

posted 4 years ago
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I think classes and "real" language contact serve different, but symbiotic, purposes. Your comment about "passive" or "artificial" learning is at the core of students' varying experiences. One of the best things that ever happened in one of my classes was when 5 ladies from the class met outside class, developed social connections, made lunch for each other once a week, and practices their Englsih in the process. They were from Mexico, El Salvador, Peru, Korea, and Japan. It was a learning experience that would be difficult, if not impossible, to recreate in the classroom and did wonders for their English language fluency.. Still, ESL classes that are well-done give students the exposure to the standard English and the typically lesser-developed skills of reading and writing that can open doors to employment opportunities. I just hope the state of Oregon, and proponents of Measure 58, understand that there is a lot of student support necessary for learners to develop fluency in a 2 year period. It's no surprise that one of the big supporters of this measure is also stronglu connected to the immigration reform movement. Look southward to many mistakes that have already been made and sincere good luck to all.

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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I appreciate your comments, particularly considering your language experience and acculturation to this country. I think they apply very well to adult language learners. My comments about formal study relate to the many who don't take classes and don't connect with English in their jobs and day-to-day relationships as is true for thousands, if not tens of thousands, in California. Of course the issue here as related to Measure 58 concerns much younger students and the time it takes for them to proceed to English language fluency and academic success. IN states with large second language student populations, gaps exist and these populations consistently lag behind their native English speaking counterparts. 2 years could work if support mechanisms are in place to help these learners bridge the gaps in their langauge and their content studies.

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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Language acquisition takes time. Anyone who has some reasonable degree of language fluency in a language other than one's primary language knows this. Measure 58 would limit English acquisition time to 2 years. Generally, speaking, adult second language acquisition theory suggests it takes adults 2-7 years to go from survival to academic fluency. These are people with a well-developed first langauge foundation in place. Many factors contribute to this: age, motivation, contact with the target language, attitude toward the language, use of the langauge in real communicative contexts, home language use, formal study, formal study in one's country of origin, etc. Similar measures have been suggested, and some tried, in Oregon's neighbor to the south. Of course the two differ tremendously; however, one consideration is this: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 12.1% of Oregon's population age 5 and above speak a language other than English at home. On the contrary, this same number skyrockets to just under 40% in California. Think about elementary, middle school, and high school learners trying to learn content at the same time as they attempt to learn a second language - while not having achieved the standard in the first! This is why time limits simply do not work. Immersion is good, so why not try dual-immersion where our English-only sons and daughters can develop second and third language fluency in order that we cease falling behind counterparts in other nations, lagging in the ability to react to global realities and a larger world view. Two years? It will work for some, but many will undoubtedly fall between the proverbial cracks that ever widen. Perhaps politicians should leave teaching to professionals.

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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