Prop 58 Archive

Looking ahead

Looking ahead: Global California 2030

The legal door opened in 2016. The next question is whether California can build enough programs, teachers and funding to walk through it.

The goals

Global California 2030 is the state's multilingual education initiative. Its stated targets are:[4]

2030half of K–12 students in programs leading to proficiency in two or more languages
2040three in four students proficient in one or more languages, earning the State Seal of Biliteracy
1,600dual-language programs by 2030
100bilingual teacher preparation programs by 2030 (baseline 40 in 2018)[3]
Bilingual teacher preparation programs 40 in 2018, 48 in 2025, 90 projected for 2025, 100 goal for 2030. 2018 baseline40 2025 actual48 2025 projected90 2030 goal100 Approved bilingual teacher preparation programs in California.
Source: CalMatters, March 2025 ([3]).

What to watch

  1. The teacher pipeline. Researchers estimate the state needs thousands of new bilingual teachers to reach its dual-language goals. Programs to bring high school students into teaching are one response being reported in 2026.[10]
  2. Funding. Past grants have expired and current proposals are small compared to the goal.[3]
  3. English learner access. With about 1.1 million English learners and roughly 10% in bilingual programs, closing that gap is the clearest measure of success.[3]
  4. Outcomes. The Century Foundation notes that in Texas, students with non-English home languages outperform California peers on national reading and math tests, with smaller gaps.[3]

Our view of the record. Prop 58 succeeded at what a ballot measure can do: it changed the rules, by a wide margin. Whether it succeeds at its goals — English proficiency and multilingual students — now depends on implementation.