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... models of bilingual education is that content knowledge and skills learned in a student's primary language will transfer to English once the student has experienced between five and seven years of native language instruction (The Changing Face of Bilingual Education). Research performed by the National Academy of Sciences gives absolutely no concrete, empirical research that would support this proposition. The National Academy of Sciences, however, supports the use of native language instruction. The National Academy of Sciences is aware of the contradictory nature of their support and acknowledges: It is clear that many children first learn to read in a second language without any serious negative consequences (The Changing Face of Bilingual Education).
The National Academy of Sciences support is largely due to political pressure and should not over shadow the fact that there is no direct proof that links native language instruction to academic success. Bilingual education programs use native language instruction to make an LEP student proficient in English while maintaining the students confidence and emotional stability (Bilingual Education). Senator Tom Johnson, from South Dakota, agrees that Developing bilingual skills will allow students and families to strengthen cultural understandings and improve professional programs for educators at Batesland School. Also, bilingual program[s] will provide students with a greater understanding of their culture and will enhance their sense of identity and self esteem (Johnson, Daschle Announce Grant for Batesland Schools Bilingual Education Program). Self-esteem that is gained from bilingual education programs leads to confidence.
The confidence is a result of the LEP student being able to communicate better in his or her native language. The student will therefore be more receptive to teaching because of good communication between the teacher and the student. Consider the following scenario to understand the positive effects of bilingual education: School is at first bewildering, but Senora Roman and Ms. Miller and all your Spanish-speaking classmates make you feel OK. Books in Spanish and English and your classmates stories about life in your Mexican hometown are all over the school. Social studies and language arts incorporate rich bi cultural knowledge gathering and problem solving into the standard grade-level curriculum.
Your class writes e-mail messages and shares projects with a class in Mexico through the network Orillas. You can see that knowing how to read and write well in both English and Spanish is an advantage for getting a good job, and the school unit on careers gives you many new interests to explore (Accelerated Schooling for English Language Learners). The described scenario is an example of a common situation in which an LEP student would benefit from bilingual education. English immersion programs place their emphasis on learning the English language, by giving almost all academic instruction in English. Goals for English immersion are geared more toward the child learning English as soon as possible, rather than considering the students emotional situation. The advantage of immersion is that a student will learn English well enough in about a year to be moved into a regular classroom.
Most parents believe that a schools first priority with immigrant students should be to teach English. Two in three parents overall say it is more important for the public schools to teach English as quickly as possible to new immigrants, even if those students fall behind in other subjects (Being An American Is a Privilege). In a bilingual education program the same LEP student could take as many as seven years get to the same level of speaking and understanding English. Several teachers agree that students in immersion classes are picking up spoken English faster than students in bilingual education programs.
Ron Us, a politician who fervently supports immersion, ... [I]s convinced that when statewide test scores are released on July 1 they will show that students who spent the year in English immersion classes fared dramatically better than those who stayed in traditional bilingual programs (Put a Stop to Bilingual Education? Manana). Students in immersion programs may become frustrated but the result will be a higher familiarization with the English language and a higher level of communication and competency. Bilingual education and English immersion programs both have strengths over the other. Bilingual education uses native language instruction to make a familiar and comfortable learning environment for an LEP student.
The student is also able to confidently communicate in his or her native language instead of having to struggle with words he or she has most likely never used before. communication in a native language increases the students self esteem and confidence. English immersion helps a student to learn the English language at a faster pace than bilingual education. The student will then have a higher familiarization with the English language that will lead to a higher level of communication and competency. It is usually quite simple to determine which program will suit the needs of an individual student. The challenge is to determine which program will benefit the majority of LEP students.
Even after millions of dollars in research, the question of which program is best for the children is still unanswered. Bibliography: Works Cited Burt, Mariam. Research Agenda For Adult ESL. Center For Applied Linguistics 14 Sept. 1998.
web 5 Sept. 1999. Chavez, Linda. Being an American is a Privilege. USA Today Magazine April 1999: 1. Daschle, Thomas. Johnson, Daschle Announce Grant For Batesland Schools Bilingual Education Program.
FDCH Press Release 17 May 1999. Gersten, Russell. The Changing Face of Bilingual Education. Educational Leadership April 1999: 41. Maker, Domenico. Bilingual Education Goes Beyond Teaching Language.
The Houston Chronicle 20 May 1998: A 29. McCann, Jeanne. Bilingual Education. Education Week On The Web 16 Aug. 1999. web 5 Sept. 1999. Thomas, Wayne.
Accelerated Schooling for English Language Learners. Educational Leadership April 1999: 46. Wildavsky, Ben. Put a Stop to Bilingual Education? Manana. U.
S. News and Report 5 Apr. 1999: 41.
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Research essay sample on Bilingual Education Programs English Language Learners
