Bilingual education

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The phrase "bilingual education" has multiple definitions:

education designed to help children become bilingual (sometimes called "two-way bilingual education"; e.g., Spanish speakers and English speakers in a classroom are all taught to speak both languages;
education in a child's native language for no more than three years to for content areas to ensure that while students are learning English, they do not fall behind in content areas like math, science, and social studies. All bilingual education that uses a child's native language as an instructional tool includes instruction in English, and no bilingual model has instruction in a child's native language for an unlimited time period. The goal is to help students transition to mainstream, English-only classrooms.

Contents

1 Examples across the world

1.1 Canada
1.2 United States

2 Controversy
3 References
4 See also
5 Further reading
6 External links

Examples across the world

Canada

French_immersion

United States

Bilingual education has multiple forms in the United States. Many parents have begun enrolling their preschool aged English-speaking children in "immersion" programs so that they will learn another languages (primarily Spanish) in addition to their own . Other bilingual education in the U.S. focuses on learners of English as a second language.

According to the U.S. Department of Education website a bilingual education program is “an educational program for limited English proficient students”. Furthermore, the term ‘limited English proficient’, when used with respect to an individual, means an individual whose primary language is other than English and whose difficulties in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language may be sufficient to deny the individual the ability to successfully achieve in classrooms where the language of instruction is English or the opportunity to participate fully in society.

In the 50 states of the United States, proponents of the practice argue that it will help to keep non-English-speaking children from falling behind their peers in math, science, and social studies while they master English. Opponents of bilingual education argue that it delays students' mastery of English, thereby retarding the learning of other subjects as well. In California there has been considerable politicking for and against bilingual education.

In 1968 U.S. Congress first mandated bilingual education in order to give immigrants access to education in their “first” language. There are two different approaches to this form of instruction. One is called ‘bilingual education’ and it involves teaching in the students’ first language and also English. The other is known as an ‘immersion program’ where the teachers instruct predominantly in English, and use the students’ native language only for explanations.

In Lafayette, LA and its parish school district, French immersion is offered beginning in kindergarten. By high school, the children are in AP French III, comparable to French VII. They take all classes, save English, in French. The children gain a near-native proficiency.

The majority of U.S. high school students in the United States are required to take at least 1 to 2 years of a second language. The vast majority of these classes are either French or Spanish. In a large number of schools this is taught in a manner known as FLES, in which students learn about the second language in a manner similar to other subjects such as Math or Science. Some schools use an additional method known as FLEX in which the "nature of the language" and culture are also taught. High school education rarely uses "immersion" techniques .

Controversy

There has been much debate over bilingual education in recent times.

Proponents of bilingual education say that it is easier for students to learn English if they are literate in their first language and that good bilingual programs strive to achieve proficiency in both the primary and secondary language for the student. Some claim that this type of learning works well in a classroom where half the students speak English and half are considered limited English proficient (LEP). The teacher instructs in English and in the LEP’s primary language. The dual purpose of this type of classroom is to teach the children a new language and to let them learn about another culture. It is alleged that if the program is well designed and the teachers are well equipped then kids have a better chance of success.

Opponents of bilingual education claim that many bilingual education programs are, in fact, native language programs with a minimal emphasis on teaching students proficiency in the primary language of the culture they are in (e.g., English).

Critics of bilingual education have claimed that studies supporting bilingual education tend to have poor methodologies and that there is little empirical support in favor of it. And oftentimes, the "supporting resarch" is decades old. Results of more recent studies repute earlier claims and instead encourage simultaneous bilingualism (see "External Links" below, "Adults and Children...") .

The controversy over bilingual education is often enmeshed in a larger political and cultural context. Opponents of bilingual education are sometimes accused of racism and xenophobia. This is especially so in the case of such groups as English First which is a conservative organization that promotes the stance that English should be the official language of the United States.

Proponents of bilingual educatopm are frequently accused of practicing identity politics to the detriment of children and of immigrants, a position that may be bolstered by the fact that various polls have shown that immigrant communities often support the curtailing of bilingual language programs.

The controversies involved in this issues were highlighted by California's Proposition 227[link] which sought to curtail bilingual education in favor of early immersion in English, and "mainstreaming". In 1998, California voters passed the proposition over strenuous objections from bilingual advocates.

The ultimate effect of the passage of Proposition 227 has been controversial. Political opponents of bilingual education claimed that statistics have shown an improvement in student scores, while academic researchers have shown California test scores do not reflect improvements due to Proposition 227. The final report of a study commissioned by the California state legislature, released in 2006, also found that Proposition 227 did not improve academic outcomes for English Learners.

California was followed by Arizona in the passage of a similar legislation Arizona Proposition 203 which limited the opportunities available to minority language students. The Arizona law is even more restrictive, particularly under the implementation of Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne.

References

External links

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