BS BULLETIN:

• California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton says he wants public-school instruction conducted in English.
• “We speak English here!” Hilton declared while arguing that students should learn the language as quickly as possible.
• California previously operated under an English-immersion mandate approved by voters in 1998 before voters changed course in 2016.

Steve Hilton has unveiled another piece of his plan for California’s public schools, and this one doesn’t require much translation.

“We speak English here!”

The Republican candidate for governor said California schools should teach students in English rather than using bilingual instruction, arguing that learning the language is essential for children to succeed in America.

Hilton’s proposal would represent a significant change for a state that has spent the past decade expanding bilingual and dual-language education.

But it would also amount to something of a return to the past.

California voters approved Proposition 227 in 1998, requiring public-school instruction to be conducted overwhelmingly in English and generally placing students who weren’t fluent into temporary English-immersion programs.

There were exceptions, including parental waivers for certain students.

California voters reversed course in 2016, opening the door for schools to expand bilingual and multilingual programs.

Today, more than 1,000 California public schools reportedly offer bilingual education, compared with roughly 400 a decade ago. California has more than 1.1 million English learners, representing about 19% of the state’s K-12 enrollment.

Hilton wants to take the state in the opposite direction.

The former Fox News host has made education a major piece of his gubernatorial campaign, arguing that California’s schools are failing too many students on basic reading and math.

His education plan says just 47% of California students meet English-language standards and 35% meet math standards. Among his proposed fixes are mandatory phonics instruction in kindergarten through third grade, public letter grades for schools and intervention at schools that repeatedly fail to improve.

Hilton has also called for school choice through education savings accounts, ending teacher tenure and restrictions on smartphones in schools.

The English-only proposal is likely to be considerably more contentious.

Supporters of bilingual education argue that students can become proficient in English while also benefiting academically from instruction in another language. Critics of the old Proposition 227 system contend that English immersion failed to deliver the academic gains its supporters promised.

Hilton’s argument is considerably simpler.

Children attending California schools, he says, should be taught in the language they’ll need to function in American society.

And he’s found a way of making the campaign slogan fit on a bumper sticker: “We speak English here!”

DBS WIRE SOURCES:

• Mediaite — ‘We Speak English Here!’ CA governor candidate Steve Hilton outlines his plan for English-only schools
• EdSource via SFGate — Gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton has harsh criticisms, sweeping fixes for California schools
• Steve Hilton for Governor — Making California’s Schools Work Again
• California Secretary of State — Proposition 227: English Language in Public Schools
• Los Angeles Times — How Trump’s English-only Head Start plan would hit L.A. classrooms