Bilingual Education in the US: A Lesson for Chinese Educators and Parents

1. Bilingual Education in the US: A Lesson for Chinese Educators and Parents Yiqiang Wu, Ph.D. The College of New Jersey Beijing, May 2007

2. History of Bilingual Education in the US • Bilingual Education In Canada • Theoretical Foundations of Bilingual Education • Models of Bilingual Program in the US • Problems of Bilingual Education in the US • Bilingual Education in China

3. History of Bilingual Education in the US • Language schools by ethnic groups in the early immigration waives during the First and Second World Wars. • In 1968 with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act congress mandated bilingual education in order to give immigrants access to education in their “first language”. • Lau vs. Nichols case • Proposition 227 • Bilingual Education Status at present

4. Lau vs. Nichols (1974) • “There is no equality of treatment merely by providing students with the same facilities, textbooks, teachers, and curriculum; for students who do not understand English are effectively foreclosed from any meaningful education.” • A class action suit brought by parents of non-English-proficient Chinese students against the San Francisco Unified School District. In 1974, the Supreme Court ruled that identical education does not constitute equal education the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The court ruled that the district must take affirmative steps to overcome educational barriers faced by non-English speaking Chinese students in the district.

5. Momentum Building • Basically schools needed to at least provide some type of services to support English language learners. Bilingual programs flourished after the law’s passage.

6. Proposition 227 • In the middle of 1990, the drop rate of students in the bilingual and ESL programs was sky high. More and more parents of bilingual students were very unhappy about the education their children received. In several school districts in California, parents organized and boycotted bilingual education. Onz, a owner of a computer software company filed a law suite against Bilingual Education, claiming that Bilingual Education did not meet the needs of ESL learners.1998 California passed Proposition 227 that virtually banned bilingual education except under certain special conditions and established a one-year "sheltered immersion" program for all ESL students.

7. Argument Against Bilingual Education in California • Begun with the best of intentions in the 1970s, bilingual education has failed in actual practice, but the politicians/administrators have refused to admit this failure. • For most of California's non-English speaking students, bilingual education actually means monolingual, SPANISH-ONLY education for the first 4 to 7 years of school. • The current system fails to teach children to read and write English. One year, only 6.7 percent of limited-English students in California learned enough English to be moved into mainstream classes. • Latino immigrant children are the principal victims of bilingual education. They have the lowest test scores and the highest dropout rates of any immigrant group. • 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.

8. Argument in Favor of Bilingual Education in California • Proposition 227 imposes one untested method for teaching English on every local school district in California. • Proposition 227 puts limited English speaking children of all ages and languages into one classroom. • The California PTA opposes Proposition 227 because it takes away parents' right to choose what's best for their children. • The California School Boards Association opposes Proposition 227 because it outlaws the best local programs for teaching English. • California's teachers oppose Proposition 227--teachers can be sued personally for teaching in the children's language to help them learn English. • Outlawing decisions by parents, teachers, and school boards on how to teach children English is wrong. • Sadly, there have been failures too. However, these failures can best be remedied by reasonable program changes that maximize local control.

9. Bilingual Education in Canada School programs: English/French English only French only School languages: English and French Language use in society: English and French Academic Languages: English and French

10. Theoretical Foundations of Bilingual Education • In order to gain the maximum academic benefit from schooling, language minority students must develop high level of language proficiency in both English and their primary language. • Language proficiency consists at least two dimensions: • BICS: Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills • CALPS: Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency Skills • Developing high level of CALPS in the primary language proficiency forms the basis for similar proficiency in the second language, allows for normal academic progress, and assist the L2 acquisition by increasing the range of comprehensive input for the second language.

11. Theoretical Foundations of Bilingual Education • When given sufficient access to L2 comprehensible input, L2 learners acquire BICS and CALPS. • The development of CALPS require special adaptations and adjustment of structure and environment of the classroom and in teaching strategies.

12. Models of Bilingual Education • Bilingual Education in Canada • Transitional Bilingual Education • Two-Way Bilingual Education • Dual Language Bilingual Education • Late Exit or Developmental Bilingual Education • Bilingual Education in China

13. Transitional Bilingual Education • Education in child’s native language, typically for no more than three years, to ensure that students do not fall behind in content areas like math, science, social studies while they are learning English. Goal is to transition student to mainstream. • Majority of Bilingual programs in the U.S. are transitional

14. Two Way Bilingual Education Transitional Bilingual Education • Designed to help native speakers and non-native speakers become bilingual and biliterate. • Half of the students will be native speakers of English and half of the students will be native speakers of a minority language such as Spanish. • Students will develop high levels of proficiency in their first language and in a second language. • Students will perform at or above grade level in academic areas in both languages. • Students will demonstrate positive cross-cultural attitudes and behaviors and high levels of self-esteem. • Education in child’s native language, typically for no more than three years, to ensure that students do not fall behind in content areas like math, science, social studies while they are learning English. Goal is to transition student to mainstream. • Majority of Bilingual programs in the U.S. are transitional

15. Dual Language Bilingual Education • Variety of academic subjects are taught in students’ second language with trained bilingual teachers who can understand when they ask questions in their native language, but always answer in second language. • Native language literacy classes improve students writing and higher-order language skills in their first language. • Content based classes are taught in second language. • Literacy is taught in native language.

16. Late Exit /Developmental Bilingual Education • Education is in the child’s native language for an extended duration, accompanied by English. (Similar to Transitional but it’s extended) • The goal is to develop bilingualism and biliteracy in both languages.

17. Bilingual Advocates • Once you can read, you can read. The ability to read transfers across languages. • Native-language instruction does not retard the acquisition of English. • Bilingualism is a valuable skill, for individuals and for the country.

18. Success of Bilingual Education • Promote dual language development • Maintain first language and culture • Build up learners self-esteem and confidence • Create a fear free learning environment • Develop cognitive knowledge • Learn content area knowledge while improving English

19. Failure of Bilingual Education • Failed to promote dual language development • Failed to develop first language literacy • Failed to develop English language literacy • Failed to get bilingual students into the mainstream • Failed to help Bilingual students acquire the content area knowledge

20. Problems for Bilingual Education • Politics override Educational needs • English only Movement • Hostile attitude towards immigrants • Inadequateness of School System • Insufficient funds and resources • Lack of qualified teachers and supporting services • Lack of parental and community support.

21. English Only • A bad idea for the country because bilingualism threatens to sap our sense of national identity and divide us along ethnic lines. • “Sends the wrong message” to immigrants. • Many bilingual education programs fail to teach students English. • Bilingualism handicaps children’s cognitive growth.

22. Bilingual Education in China • Bilingual Education in Minority Regions • complete bilingual • Bilingual Preschools or Kindergartens • complete bilingual • Bilingual Elementary Schools • partial bilingual/EFL • Bilingual Middle and High School/University • partial bilingual/EFL • International Schools • English + Chinese • Local International Schools • Chinese + English

23. Possibilities and Considerations • Language Policy and rights • Government: mandatory or parents’ rights • Private schools • Language recourses • Teachers, instructional materials • Language Curriculum • Instructional approaches • Language Environment • Language use community