California’s Challenges in
Language Minority Education

Jill Kerper Mora, Ed.D.
San Diego State University

6/7/00

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California's Demographics: Opportunity and Challenge
 

• 49% White
• 32% Latino
• 9% Asian/Pacific Islander
• 8% Black
• 1% Native American

• 34% White
• 45% Latino
• 11% Asian/Pacific Islander
• 9% Black
• 0.9% Native American

Cultural and racial diversity in the California teaching force

• 77% White
• 12% Latino
• 5% Asian/Pacific Islander
• 5% Black
• 1% Native American

• 41% Native speakers of a language other than English (currently or formerly classified as ELL)
• 57 Languages identified by the California Department of Education
• 25% Classified as limited English proficient (English learners)
• 84% of English learners are native Spanish speakers
• 49% of Latino students are classified as limited English proficient
• 32% of total school population are native Spanish speakers or Spanish/English bilingual
• 3% of total school population enrolled in bilingual education with primary language instruction

• 25% of all California's children live in poverty
• 40% of Latino students live in poverty, as compared to 15% of Whites
• 68% of Latino students live with both parents, as compared to 81% of Whites
• 25% of Latinos drop out of school before graduation, as compared to 13.4% of Blacks and 7.6 % of Whites
• While Latino students make up 42% of the student population, they represent only 32% of the high school graduates
• While Asian students make up 11% of the student population, they represent 15% of the high school graduates
• 2 out of every 3 Latino students attend a school where ethnic minorities make up 50% or more of the school's population
• 1 out of every 3 Latino students attend a school where ethnic minorities make up 90% or more of the school's population
• Only 1 in 3 attend a school where White native-English speakers are in the majority among the school's student population

• 8% hold BCLAD credential or authorization
• 32% hold CLAD credential or authorization
• 48% hold a regular Multiple Subject or Single Subject authorization
• 12% work under an emergency credential

• 12% BCLAD teachers authorized to provide primary language instruction
• 8% BCLAD teachers NOT authorized to provide primary language instruction
• 54% CLAD or MS/SS credential holders who are monolingual
• 26% Emergency Credential holders
• Only 1 out of every 3 ELLs is taught by a fully credentialed BCLAD or CLAD teacher

Sources:

California Department of Education Language Census Reports

California Department of Finance

EdSource (1998). Bilingual Education in California

Council of the Great City Schools

Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). Crucial Issues in California Education 2000.

Changing patterns of social and economic integration of language minority populations

• Concentration of ethnic populations in urban areas and in the US-Mexico border region
• Transnational communities and globalization
• Distinct patterns of assimilation and social integration among immigrants as well as U.S. born ethnic populations

Educational policies that are incongruent with effective schooling practices for language minority students

• Length of time required to acquire proficiency in academic English
• Simultaneous versus sequential acquisition of language and content knowledge
• High stakes testing and promotion and retention policies
• Mismatched methods and approaches to instruction with demands on the learner
• Devaluing bilingualism
• The looming teacher shortage and recruitment/retention of an ethnically and linguistically diverse teaching force

Where do English language development and Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English ELD/SDAIE fit into the picture?

• ELD/SDAIE methods are more than "just good teaching" or "teaching English by teaching in English"
• The distinction and the overlap between ELD and SDAIE are important
• Effective program design and implementation are keys to long-term success
• Preservice and inservice BCLAD and CLAD teacher preparation must be expanded and strengthened

• Fidelity to theoretical models of program design and a solid research base is essential to achieving legitimate social and educational goals
• Dual language and foreign/second-language programs must be promoted to meet the need for bilingual individuals in the expanding global marketplace
• Content-based foreign language instruction will be a widely adopted model at all grade levels

To navigate Dr. Mora's CLAD Website:

This page was last updated on 04/04/04