Oregon Public Broadcasting

A national proponent of English-only initatives is in Oregon this week to rally support for a similar measure here. Rob Manning reports.

Rosalie Porter has spent years teaching and studying English as a Second Language, and she is an immigrant herself.

That background lent credibility to English-immersion initiatives in California and Massachusetts.

Oregon voters will decide  a measure  in November that would limit teaching of English as a Second Language to two years.

Porter says studies show that one to two years can be enough assistance for immigrant kids.

Rosalie Porter: “One to two years is a very reasonable goal. Most students given a reasonable teacher, and enough time to work on their English, are going to master the English language skills.”

But Porter says measures in other states had waivers for students who needed more help. Measure 58 does not.

Other experts argue that standardized tests show no improvement, and even some backsliding, in English-immersion states.