Heather Carpenter
EDUC 4025/5025 – Dr. Jennifer Lucko

One of the questions that educators and policy makers have been trying to agree upon for decades is “What is the best way to teach English Language Learners (ELLs)?” This is particularly true today as the numbers of students with limited English proficiency (LEP) are increasing; about 37.4 percent of the state’s public school enrollment. ELLs face a great challenge: They must learn academic curriculum and a new language simultaneously. Some argue that it is too much to expect ELLS to learn academic content and a second language, when they have not gained literacy in their first language. Others contend ELLs students fall too far behind academically in transitional bilingual programs, and they need to learn English quickly enough and fluently enough in order to participate in academic courses in mathematics, reading/language arts, social studies, and science). In the late 1990s, bilingual education came under attack for failing to do an adequate job of developing English proficiency in ELLs in an effective and timely manner. In 1998, California voters passed Proposition 227, making it so that English language learners were to be taught “overwhelmingly in English” and would spend at least one year in Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) learning both English language development (ELD) and content instruction utilizing “specially designed academic instruction in English” (SDAIE). The goal was for Limited English Proficient (LEP) students to quickly gain English proficiency through in SEI classes so they could transition into mainstream classes and successfully participate and learn academic content with the general school population. The law would allow bilingual education under certain conditions: after the student spent 30 days in a English immersion class, if the child is younger than 10 years old, and if the parents signed a waiver. However, many bilingual programs were dismantled after Prop 227 was enacted, therefore there is no guarantee that a bilingual programs exists in a family’s district. The question we researched and debated was how have California LEP students fared under Prop 227. We contend that while statistically there has been some improvement for ELLs over the past fifteen years, especially in the lower grades for gaining English proficiency, the long term outcomes for ELLS are not as impressive. There still remains a large academic achievement gap between ELLS and former ELLs with the general population. A five-year evaluation of Proposition 227, conducted by the American Institutes for Research and WestEd (Parrish et al., 2006), was released in January 2006. The researchers tracked data from 1.5 million English learners and 3.5 million English fluent and native English-speaking students in California. From their analysis, they concluded that "there is no evidence to support an argument of the superiority of one English learner instructional approach over another." The researchers note that while gains were made for ELLS, students across all language classifications in all grades experienced performance gains on the SAT-9 and CST. However, they did find that the achievement gap between ELL students and native English speakers has remained virtually constant in most subjects and in most grades. (Parrish 2006). Also significant was the finding that the “probability of an EL being re-classified to fluent English proficient (FEP) status after 10 years in California to be less than 40 percent.” (Parrish 2006) Finally, Hispanic students who compose 50% of the students, still have a high drop out rate (30%), and EL even higher. (Parrish 2006) We decided to look at alternative models of Bilingual education and found research that suggests two-way bilingual immersion (or dual immersion) has promise for closing the achievement gap. In this approach, children from two language groups (for example, English and Spanish speakers) are taught literacy and academic content in their primary language, and also learn a second language. Over the course of the primary grades, the percentage of instruction decreases in the primary language, until students are taught in a 50:50 ratio between L1 and L2 languages. This way, students encourage and teach each other, with the goal that everyone will become bilingual. This model of teaching is based on the premise that it is better to have literacy in one language before gaining literacy in another. Research does seem to suggest that students who have received little to no academic or cognitive development in their first language tend to do increasingly poorly as academic and cognitive demands increase after fourth grade and into the upper grades (Thomas and Collier, 2002). Unlike transitional bilingual programs or English Immersion programs under Prop 227, the goal in dual language immersion programs is not to ultimately transition out of the student’s primary language, but to develop bilingualism and biliteracy for all students. In other words, the minority language is not treated as a barrier to academic achievement, but a gateway. ELLs and English speakers are both enriched by dual immersion because it gives both groups access to knowledge, identification with your culture and other cultures, and enhances social interaction. While more longitudinal studies are needed, preliminary research has shown promise in the two-way dual immersion model for closing the academic gap for LEPS. Wayne P. Thomas, and Virginia P. Collier, of George Mason University conducted a national study examining five school districts throughout the United States, including over 210,000 student records, and reviewed different program types for language minority students. They found that enrichment one-way (bilingual maintenance program) and two-way bilingual immersion programs are the only programs that assist students to fully reach the 50th percentile in both L1 and L2 in all subjects and maintain that high level of achievement through 12th grade. (Collier 2002) Native-English speakers in two-way bilingual immersion programs maintained their English, added a second language, and achieved well above the 50th percentile in all subject areas on norm-referenced tests in English. These bilingually schooled students equalled or outperformed their comparison groups being schooled monolingually, on all measures. (Collier 2002) Proponents of bilingual education have long argued that it is very difficult to gain literacy in a second language, if you have not gained literacy in your first. Collier and Thomas research supports this supposition. They found that the strongest predictor of L2 student achievement is the amount of formal L1 schooling and that the more L1 grade-level schooling, the higher students were in L2 achievement. This was true of both English Speakers and English Learners. (Collier 2002) Students from Two-Way programs also seem to thrive emotionally and socially. Lindholm-Leary (2001) and Cazabon (2000) both found among students: High levels of self-esteem, high academic competence and motivation, positive multicultural competencies, and enjoyment in studying through two languages. Unsurprisingly, Collier and Thomas also found that two-way programs have the fewest high school dropouts, compared to other programs. (2002)
If we might agree that bilingualism and biliteracy is a worthy goal for all children, the biggest issue with two-way programs is implementation. According to the California Department of Education, successful characteristics of two-way programs have “strong leadership and administrative support, qualified instructional personnel, a program duration of five to seven years, balance in classroom composition and focus on academic achievement. In addition, two-way programs need access to bilingual academic materials. We must also consider that if we intend to teach minority children in their primary language, we should probably also have academic assessments in multiple languages. All of the above entails a major overhaul in school programs, as well as a significant price tag for California taxpayers. Nevertheless, many cities such as San Jose, San Diego, Fresno, San Jose, etc. are taking the initiative to invest in these programs for their students. In 1998, proponents of Prop 227 argued: “There are 140 languages spoken by California's schoolchildren. To teach each group of children in their own native language before teaching them English is educationally and fiscally impossible. Yet this impossibility is the goal of bilingual education.” (California Secretary of State, 1998). While the overwhelming majority of ELLs in California are Spanish-speakers, this idea raises an important point about equity. Is it possible to fairly and equally address the needs of all students in a multicultural society in a two-way program? Due the high number of Spanish speakers, most two-way programs in California are Spanish-English language programs. There is strong support of ELLs cultural backgrounds, however, it’s dangerous to treat EO group as a homogenous group because of a shared language. While one of the strengths of two-way immersion programs is cultural integration and the goal of fostering cultural awareness, it could prove be challenging to meet the needs of a diverse student population. Analysts (Howard, Sugarman and Christian) evaluated the research on two way schools and in their conclusions, they cautioned “The limited research on African-American participation in TWI programs indicates that programs are not always responsive to these students’ needs, and there are conflicting findings in terms of African American student outcomes” (Howard 2003). The issues surrounding ELLs are enormously complicated and no system is perfect. The lesson we can learn from the Prop 227 is that short-term immersion in SEI and ELD classes can effectively improve performance in English proficiency when ELD and SEI are well implemented. However, it does not guarantee that FEP students will be able to meet the increasing cognitive demands of academic English in the higher grades. Being reclassified as English proficient is not necessarily associated with stronger academic performance, as we have seen there is some evidence that not all former ELLs remain strong performers over time. We can learn from bilingual programs such as dual immersion that have taken a long view that recognizes that it takes a whole childhood to educate a child. Furthermore, rather than view the minority language as a barrier to academic success, two-way programs view the primary language as a valuable foundation to build upon. We can also learn that an integrative and cooperative learning environments which promote cultural literacy and awareness, have a positive impact on the self-esteem and confidence on not only ELLs, but also all students. I did not have a strong position on this issue at the outset, as I did not have any previous knowledge and experience with this issue. Initially is seemed sensible that ELLs would have a better chance of succeeding in school if they had a strong grasp of the language they were to be instructed in. Since English is dominant language in our public schools, it makes sense the policy makers would seek to ensure that ELLs student acquire English proficiency sooner than later. Prop 227 has provided an opportunity to experiment with this hypothesis. After reading the approach and research on two-way bilingual immersion programs, it seems clear that an education that builds upon a student’s primary language is more effective for building long-term cognitive and academic capacities. However, we must remember that the intellect is only part of the story. We, as educators, must also address the social, moral, and emotional life of a student if we wish to keep our student’s engaged and to have a stake in their education. While the issues surrounding truancy and desertion are incredibly complicated, we must recognize that many minority students are simply not being met. Schools that celebrate diversity, recognize the gifts of many cultural backgrounds, and foster cultural literacy are more likely to meet the student’s emotional and social life. I would hypothesize that student’s who feel like an important part of a community are less likely to drop out. My primary training in Waldorf education has had a profound influence on my thinking and the goals I set for myself as an educator. Because we have the privilege of working with our students for up to 8 years, we have the opportunity to continually observe, assess, and implement strategies for addressing each student’s individual strengths and challenges each developmental year. There is an implicit patience that does not demand immediate outcomes but rather a steady attention to seeing what works for each individual over time. I am also very green as a teacher with high ideals and would like to believe that we as teachers can have a profound impact on a student’s attitude toward school by seeing and reflecting their unique talents as important and needed in this world. As teachers, we may not always have the liberty to develop our own curriculum and methods of assessment, but we can be totally free to develop the mood and culture we establish in our classrooms. By recognizing and respecting our student’s cultural heritage, we can make profound difference in the learning environments we create.

References:

CA Dept of Education (Web. 24 Sept. 2013) "Two-Way Bilingual Immersion Program." - Two-Way Immersion http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/ip/twowyimmersion.asp

CA Secretary of State - Primary98 (Web. 24 Sept. 2013.)-“Argument in Favor of Proposition 227." http://primary98.sos.ca.gov/VoterGuide/Propositions/227yesarg.htm

Cazabon, M.T. (2000). The use of students' self-reporting in the evaluation of the Amigos two-way language immersion program. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA.

Howard E.R,, Sugarman, J & Christian, D (2003) Trends in Two-Way Immersion Education - A Review of the Research. Center for Applied Research: Available: http://www.csos.jhu.edu/crespar/techReports/report63.pdf

Lindholm-Leary, K, Review of the Research and Best Practices of Effective Features of Dual Language Education Programs

Lindholm-Leary, K., & Borsato, G. (2001). Impact of two-way bilingual elementary programs on students' attitudes toward school and college (Research Report 10). Santa Cruz, CA and Washington, DC: Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence.

Thomas, W.P., & Collier, V. (2002). A national study of school effectiveness for language minority students' long-term academic achievement. Santa Cruz, CA and Washington, DC: Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence. Available: http:// http://www.crede.berkeley.edu/research/llaa/1.1_final.html