English programs sprout

ANDREW WAINER

The Community Based English Language Tutoring program brought hundreds of

local adults to classes at various districts to learn a new language.

The program, part of Proposition 227, offers free classes to adults who

must pledge to tutor non-English speaking students in their community.

Classes began in the fall and included students speaking more than a

dozen languages, district officials said.

The law has injected hundreds of thousands of dollars into English

language classes and allowed districts to offer additional and higher

quality programs.

The aim of the program is to introduce English more directly into

students’ communities and homes.

Although Proposition 227 eliminated non-English instruction in the

classroom, many students still return home to another language.

The tutoring program aims to create more venues for speaking English for

students, and adult students are taught to teach younger students how to

read books, help with homework and teach the English language themselves.