Should Oregon Pass the English Immersion Measure?
While Obama and McCain slug it out on the national stage, voters in individual states are considering legislation that could have widespread repercussions. In the first of a special election series, Opposing Views examines Oregon’s Measure 58, a proposal that would require “English immersion” in Oregon public schools while limiting foreign language instruction. Do English immersion laws help or harm students? Figure out where you stand now; your state may be next. (Editor's Note: On November 4th, Oregon voters rejected Measure 58)








Should Oregon Pass the English Immersion Measure?
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Non english speaking children
Over time I adopted 3 non-English speaking children, each were placed in English only class environments. It took only a couple months for them to become fluent in English. They are all adult, self supporting American citizens now, two serving a country they'll be eternally proud of in the military. There was never any question about their ability to learn and function in an English only environment, thus never any problems.
- CharlieBravo
October 13, 2008 12:59AM
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Side: Yes
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Check the Constitution
Three words: freedom of speech.
- madninjamonkey
December 14, 2008 10:39PM
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Side: No
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Elaboration might have helped
I might be misinterpreting your argument, since you used only three words (well, maybe five, or eight, depending on how you count), but I don't think it's true that the constitutional protection of speech applies in public schools. Kids can be punished for using profanity or other explicit language. Dress codes are allowed, which has been debated on free expression grounds. Other constitutional rights don't apply to children in school as well -- they can go through your backpack, search your locker, etc. without a warrant. They certainly don't have the right to bear arms! The point is, children don't have guarantees to all the rights that adults do, and this is even more vividly true in school, where creating a good learning environment takes priority.
I agree with your position on the issue; I just don't think you're arguing for it in a productive way (unless you want to argue against all the examples I cited above).
- thoughtcounts Z
March 4, 2009 3:45PM
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Side: No
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