Bilingual Education: Does It Improve Academic Achievement?
...truction for a minimum of 50% of the time, to a maximum of 90% in the early grades; and English should be used at least 10% of the time. (Christian 4) What Lindholm suggests is ridiculous. He is clearly stating and supporting that Spanish is more needed versus English. English proficiency is only used 10% of the time. More than ¾ goes to all Spanish instruction in lower elementary grades. Obviously foreign speakers such as all English speakers are the only ones to benefit from this kind of instruction. They will eventually achieve excellent results because they are already experts in native English language. Such students achieve great results when enrolled in two-way bilingual education because they are actually targeting only one language. Their English acquisition is extremely advanced due to the fact that they learned English as their first language. Such students are eager to learn Spanish as their second language. Dual language does not target minority students, as it should. It certainly does not improve the overall state of Hispanics and all native Spanish cultures. “Bilingual education has received considerable research and public policy attention in the United States because of the continued presence of large numbers of non-English speaking immigrants” (Garcia 1). Bilingual programs such as dual language offers immigrants a new way of living. Therefore now “Immigrants are overpopulated in “many school districts, particularly in large urban districts” (Anstrom and Silcox 1). Could this be the reason that we are bombard with so much Spanish instruction? Immigrants overpopulating our schools for as much as “2.5-4.6 million among 180 language groups” says more than enough (Garcia 1). Obviously although they are not citizens, they are getting the attention they need. This kind of attention is what increases Spanish instruction into our schools. Now what are they going to gain if two-way language programs is carried 90% of the time in Spanish? Poor literacy in English will be the results in this case. Some schools in Texas are located in the Rio Grande Valley. They are engaged in dual language, they focus on giving all Spanish instruction in Science and Social Studies. Literacy and grammar is also part of the Spanish curriculum. Reading and grammar is taught in Spanish and English. These schools are teaching English as their second language. It all started because the lower grades such as Pre-kinder and kinder received 90% of Spanish instruction. Language arts consist of both Spanish and English; however students are required to learn the majority of daily activities in Spanish. Living in today’s society demands fluency in English. English proficiency has become very dominant through out the world. Spanish-speaking students should be involved in English immersion instead of dual language. This program is distinct from dual language. The methods used to instruct this program are totally different. English Immersion is entirely based in English instruction. “Teachers strive to deliver lessons in simplified English, so that students learn English and academic subjects” (“English-Language Learners”). With this program foreign language speakers have a lot to gain because it target their second language with more consistency compared to dual language. A literature review in 1996 explains the dramatic results between English-immersion vs. bilingual education. The report concluded that English learners gain English proficiency by using the English-immersion method (English-Language Learners 2). Other experts denied and discredit Rossell & Baker’s results by saying “ relatively few students have learned English through a single method for a sufficient amount of time to access effectiveness” (English-Language Learners 2). Although experts argued about this issue there was further proof that English-immersion was preferred. Further research was made in 2003 by an “opinion poll of immigrants”. Public Agenda conducted it; they “asked whether all public school classes should be taught in English” or in their native language as well. It turned out that “sixty-three percent of immigrants thought that all classes should be conducted in English, while thirty-two percent thought that some classes should be taught in their native language” (2). According to a debate concerning bilingual programs: Opponents of bilingual education believe that if LEP students are taught English at an early stage in their education, they will gain an advantage in both learning and language. Opponents advocate minimal use of the minority student’s native language and introduction to the English curriculum at the onset of the student’s schooling experience. (Garcia 3) The debate on this issue is certainly something that gets the attention of many people. Even immigrants had the opportunity to express what they feel is best for the students’ future. Sixty-three percent of them showed more interest in English, perhaps because they are not as stubborn to understand the great of benefits of the English language. Although dual language is not 100% effective for everyone it does have recognized achievements for limited English learners. Dual language programs helps “close the achievement gap for English Learners” (Thomas and Collier). Thomas and Collier stated in 2002 “ schools will achieve one-fifth to one-sixth of the achievement gap to close each year.” The achievement gap was thanks to the No Child Left Behind. It was integrated into America’s schools in 2002 by president George Bush. It is intended to help ensure that all children have the opportunity to obtain a high quality education and reach grade-level proficiency. Title I funds help students who are behind academically or at risk of falling behind. “Under the act’s accountability, states must sure all students including those who are disadvantaged, to achieve academic proficiency” (ED.gov 1). The NCLB also demands an annual report from state and district schools. Schools that does not compile with the request must provide “supplemental services, such as free tutoring or after-school assistance”(1). Schools that that fail to show improvement after following the NCLB guidelines are should make “dramatic changes to the way the school is run” (1). According to Christian’s report, the implementation of two-way bilingual programs concluded that “Spanish remains the most prevalent target language in United States programs” (6). The school systems are the ones to blame. Their philosophy is that all students will eventually speak English at a useful level. T...