Last week, hundreds of Chicago’s tiniest English language learners were among the first in the nation to receive state mandated bilingual instruction. According to Education Week, the new Illinois legislation calls for preschools with over 20 speakers of the same language to offer bilingual instruction, and for all lead teachers to be properly credentialed by 2014.
In the coming months, educators and others across the country will be looking at whether Illinois preschools can find enough bilingual teachers, and how the preschools will fund the additional resources necessary. At least one preschool has found it difficult to purchase enough books in Spanish.
Just because bilingual education poses many challenges doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it; numerous portraits of success exist. Evidence also suggests that, if a plan is implemented properly, youngsters are likely to read on grade level in English by the third grade and maintain positive attitudes towards their native language and culture.
But proper implementation is key, and that requires realigning the current infrastructure – particularly standardized assessments – with children’s best interests. Recently, I spoke on this topic with Sally Edwards, a Principal at Harrington Elementary in Denver. Ms. Edwards is committed to bilingual education; she believes it allows students to be more competitive in the job market and maintain their identities. However, an apparent misalignment between the Denver Public School’s bilingual program and both state and federal testing mandates meant she has had to change Harrington’s bilingual program so children receive more English instruction earlier in their school careers.
According to a PDF available on its website, the Denver Public School’s English Language Acquisition program mandates that beginning and intermediate ELL students be taught in Spanish for a large portion of the instructional day until at least the end of the second grade (there are some differences depending on learner level). Here’s the catch: Colorado State Assessment Program (CSAP) testing is held after students have had three years of U.S. schooling and is conducted in English. That means that many students participating in Harrington’s bilingual program have less than a year’s instruction in English before taking the test, which makes it tough for them to perform well.
So, ELL students at Harrington are now transitioned earlier into English, usually around late first or early second grade (when their DRA score hits 12-14). Social studies and science courses are taught in English from preschool onwards. “This decision was made with data and it was made very seriously,” states Ms. Edwards. The school also started an Early Excellence program, which helps parents with children ages 0-4 from surrounding communities – both ELLs and native speakers – prepare their kids for success in school by building academic vocabulary. Many of Harrington’s ELL students are now reading on grade level in English by third grade.
Like many schools across the country, Harrington Elementary is caught between district mandates and policy at the state and federal level, which at times contradict one another. In an article published in the online version of District Administration last week, Dan Domenech, Executive Director of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), said that “we are knowingly administering tests to children that we know cannot do well on them because they don’t speak English.”
Educators are not the only ones conflicted on this issue. According to a study conducted by Stephen Krashen in 1996 (discussed here), over 60% of parents and teachers believe in bilingual education. Yet other parents want their children to learn English as soon as possible; they believe it’s a gateway to gainful employment and opportunities that they never experienced.
Bilingual education is a complicated issue in the United States – because of conflicting laws, politics, media and public perception. Let’s face it, it’s been complicated for decades. In recent decades, we saw bans on bilingual education in public schools in California, Arizona, and Massachusetts, which may not be the answer. One comprehensive study showed no conclusive evidence that ELs performed better in California schools as a result of the ban.
Clearly, there’s still work to be done, which is to sort through the confusion, resolve the conflicts in policy, and develop workable programs. And, as we do all this, we need to remember what this conversation is really about, and that’s the children. Children who are trying to do their best, who want to learn English and excel in school, but who are caught in the middle, waiting for the adults around them to figure it all out.
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