DUAL-LANGUAGE EDUCATION: HOW IT WORKS, WHY IT WORKS, & WHY WE CARE

1. DUAL-LANGUAGE EDUCATION: HOW IT WORKS, WHY IT WORKS, & WHY WE CARE April Linton University of California, San Diego

2. Dual-language education (a.k.a. dual immersion, two-way immersion, two-way bilingual immersion) • Approximately 50% English learners (from same language background) and 50% English speakers • Instruction in both languages, starting in kindergarten or first grade and lasting at least through fifth grade (optimally K-12) • Bilingualism & biliteracy, high achievement, integration & multicultural understanding

3. HIGH SES DISTRICT LOW SES DISTRICT school board/ district administration parents school board/ district administration schools schools parents

11. How it works…three models • 50:50 - 50% of instruction in the partner language • 80:20 - 80% of instruction in partner language in early grades, moving to 50% by the 5th or 6th grade • 90:10 – 90% of instruction in partner language in early grades, moving to 50% by the 5th or 6th grade

12. How it works…results • Dual-language education always shrinks and can close the achievement gap between native Spanish and English speakers. • Barfield 1995, Christian et al. 2004, Collier & Thomas 2004, Lindholm-Leary 2001,Pérez 2004, Quintanar-Sarellana 2004… • Dual-language educated children develop positive identities as learners, as well as positive ethnic/racial identities. • Hawkins 2005, Reyes and Vallone 2007

13. How it works…results (Lindholm-Leary) • By grade 3, all students proficient speakers of L1. • Native English speakers spending only 10-20% of their school days in English are just as proficient in English as those receiving 50% of instruction in English, regardless of race or SES. • Native Spanish speakers often do better than English speakers in L2. • Native Spanish speakers in dual-language programs have higher English scores than their peers in early-exit bilingual programs.

14. How it works…results (Lindholm-Leary) • By grade 3, native English speakers score at or above statewide norms in English reading, regardless of program type. • Most native Spanish speakers score at or above statewide norms in Spanish reading. They score better that their peers in early-exit bilingual or English immersion instruction. • Native English speakers in 90:10 programs do very well in Spanish reading • Native Spanish speakers in 90:10 programs score a bit lower in English reading, but this levels out by grade 5 or 6.

15. How it works…results (Howard and Sugarman) • “Both native Spanish speakers and native English speakers demonstrate mean growth in language and literacy abilities in both English and Spanish” • Native English speakers tend to be dominant in and prefer English, while native Spanish speakers demonstrate more balanced bilingualism. • Less Spanish instruction in the primary grades, (e.g., 50:50) yields lower Spanish performance for everyone. • Dual-language students “tend to perform at levels comparable to or higher than” their peers in other types of classrooms.

16. Why it works… • “Culture of Intellectualism” (Howard and Sugarman) • Commitment to ongoing learning, high expectations, okay to make mistakes • Collaboration and exchange of ideas and viewpoints, multiple approaches to problem solving • Fostering of independence through the provision of choices and encouragement of self-monitoring • Promotion of higher-order thinking (predicting, analyzing, interpreting…)

17. Why it works… • “Culture of Equity” (Howard and Sugarman) • Strong sense of cultural and language identity • Cross-cultural friendships • Resilience in the face of prejudice and exclusion • Cross-cultural mediation and conflict-resolution skills • Awareness of privilege and power dynamics

18. Why it works… • “Culture of Leadership” (Howard and Sugarman) • Taking initiative to seek knowledge • Public presentations • Responding to the needs of others • Building consensus and sharing leadership

19. Why education professionals care about dual-language education • It is effective way for English learners to become proficient in English while pursuing an enriched curriculum. • It can diminish (or erase) the achievement gap between low- and high-SES students in general, and Latino and non-Latino white students in particular. • It enhances cognitive, linguistic, and cross-cultural skills.

20. Why social scientists care about dual-language education • Schools institutionalizing “remaking the mainstream”via a two-way model of immigrant incorporation– Alba and Nee 2003, Logan et al. 2002, López 1996, Yinger 1994 • Institutional support for “selective acculturation” – Portes and Rumbaut 1996, 2001; Portes and Zhou 1993 • “Replenishment”– Jiménez 2005 • Global/transnational identities – nurtured or in formation– Castles 2000, Levitt 2001

21. Some Challenges • From restrictive language policies, e.g., CA Prop. 227: • Anti-bilingual political climate sometimes discourages Spanish-speaking parents from choosing dual-language education. • Fewer Spanish-language materials • General: • Demographics – differential mobility rates between groups • School-district support/ level of school autonomy • In parent-driven programs, who is being served?

22. Recommendations (district- and school-level) • Start planning & parent outreach two years ahead • Be strict about the balance between native English & Spanish speakers • Provide transportation so schools can draw from a wider area • Anticipate needs in the higher grades (materials, how to deal with transition to larger class sizes…)

23. A few key resources • Reyes, Sharon A. and Tatyana Kleyn. 2010. Teaching in Two Languages: A Guide for K-12 Bilingual Educators. Corwin Press. • Howard, Elizabeth and Julie. 2007.Realizing the Vision of Two-Way Immersion. Center for Applied Linguistics. • Lindholm-Leary, Kathryn. 2004.Dual-Language Education. Multilingual Matters. • Soltero, Sonia W. 2004. Dual-Language: Teaching and Learning in Two Languages. Pearson Education, Inc.