California Still Struggling To Recover From Ban On Bilingual Education

Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, December 10, 2024…

• In the late 1990s, California voters approved a law that required public schools to teach most classes only in English. After that, many public school districts across the state essentially eliminated their bilingual programs. Voters eventually repealed this law back in 2016. But a new investigation from our partner CalMatters has found that the state’s bilingual education system is still recovering, while students struggle to get the support they need.
• Crews are trying to get a handle on a fast growing wildfire burning in Malibu. The Franklin Fire was first reported around 11 pm Monday night. It’s since burned through more than 2,600 acres in the hills north of Pepperdine University. 
• The LA Unified School District is opening up its state subsidized preschools to higher income families.

California Banned Bilingual Education For Almost 20 years. It Still Hasn’t Recovered

The Civil Rights Movement ushered in a new era of bilingual education, and the California Legislature went further, requiring the model for students still learning English from 1976 until the anti-immigrant backlash of the 1990s. Voters banned it again in 1998, only reversing the latest prohibition in 2016.

Researchers have found bilingual education helps students learn English faster and can boost their standardized test scores, increase graduation rates, better prepare them for college and much more. California has removed the official barriers to offering this type of instruction since 2016, and the state now champions bilingualism and biliteracy, encouraging all students to strive for both. But eight years after repeal, California schools have yet to recover. A decades-long enrollment slump in bilingual-teacher prep programs has led to a decimated teacher pipeline. And underinvestment by the Legislature, paired with a hamstrung state Education Department, has limited the pace of bilingual education’s comeback.

The result? A rare case in which Californians can say Texas is inspiring. Both states enroll more than 1 million students still learning English — but last year, the Lone Star State put 40% of them in bilingual classrooms. California managed that for just 10%.

Fire In Malibu Prompts Evacuations, School Closures

A fast-moving brush fire in Malibu grew to more than 2,600 acres by mid-Tuesday amid high winds and extreme fire danger. Authorities warned the fire “continues to pose a significant threat” and asked that both residents and visitors avoid the area.

Mandatory evacuations affecting roughly 6,000 people are in place, Malibu schools are closed and Pacific Coast Highway, the main way in and out, is shuttered as firefighters work in tough conditions.

The Franklin Fire started shortly before 11 p.m. near Malibu Canyon Road and Station Boundary, according to L.A. County Fire officials. City officials said the fire sparked about three miles north of Pacific Coast Highway, and that the cause was not immediately clear.

At around 3 a.m., Malibu officials reported that the fire had spread south over PCH, threatening structures by Malibu Pier, Malibu Road, Malibu Knolls and Sweetwater Mesa

LAUSD Opens Up Subsidized Preschool To Higher-Income Families

With thousands of spots in its subsidized preschools vacant, the Los Angeles Unified School District is opening up enrollment to higher-income families to fill spaces currently not being used by low-income families.