SECTIONS 300 - California Statutes

EDUCATION CODE

SECTION 300

300. The People of California find and declare as follows:
(a) Whereas, The English language is the national public language
of the United States of America and of the State of California, is
spoken by the vast majority of California residents, and is also the
leading world language for science, technology, and international
business, thereby being the language of economic opportunity; and
(b) Whereas, Immigrant parents are eager to have their children
acquire a good knowledge of English, thereby allowing them to fully
participate in the American Dream of economic and social advancement;
and
(c) Whereas, The government and the public schools of California
have a moral obligation and a constitutional duty to provide all of
California's children, regardless of their ethnicity or national
origins, with the skills necessary to become productive members of
our society, and of these skills, literacy in the English language is
among the most important; and
(d) Whereas, The public schools of California currently do a poor
job of educating immigrant children, wasting financial resources on
costly experimental language programs whose failure over the past two
decades is demonstrated by the current high drop-out rates and low
English literacy levels of many immigrant children; and
(e) Whereas, Young immigrant children can easily acquire full
fluency in a new language, such as English, if they are heavily
exposed to that language in the classroom at an early age.
(f) Therefore, It is resolved that: all children in California
public schools shall be taught English as rapidly and effectively as
possible.