Bilingual Education Report

More young americans nowadays are being raised in homes speaking non-English, but these students are falling behind in schools where there is not a bilingual program available. According to the U.S. Department of Education, in schools without a bilingual education program, 71% of English speakers are at or above the basic requirements for fourth grade reading while merely 30% of non-English speakers reach this level. 35% of English and 8% of non-English speakers reach proficient reading levels while only 9% of English and 1% of non-English speakers perform at advanced levels. It’s evident that the availability of a bilingual program is crucial to the success of an individual who needs the resources that can be given to them through the use of bilingual education. The percentages of the non-English speaking students previously mentioned could undoubtedly be comparable to those percentages of the English speaking students if the education they were being provided with was cohesive to their comfortability, and the material being taught was in a language they could better understand.

Movements for bilingual education rose in 1974 with the Equal Education Opportunity Act and Bingual Education Act, which ordered federally funded schools to meet special educational needs for students not proficient in English. Unfortunately, dropout rates and lack of English-language proficiency alarmed the states that these bilingual programs were not efficent. Because of this, arguments between English-only advocates and supporters of bilingual educations emerged. Articles such as the New York Times have proclaimed the failures of bilingual education. One cause could be the resistance of immigrants from English language acquisition, who hold tight onto their first language and culture. Despite this, studies show that generations

Around 1959, bilingual education took flight in the United States. Starting in Miami and quickly making its way San Francisco, bilingual education soon led to the Bilingual Education Act, which promoted “No Child Left Behind”. Only twenty years later, the act acquired the attention of high schools around the country. Nonetheless, bilingual education is not always taken to be the cure-all for acclimating immigrants to the United States. In his article “Aria: A Memoir of Bilingual Childhood”, Richard Rodriguez argues that students should not take part in bilingual education by explaining how it takes away individuality and a sense of family through the use of ethos, diction, and imagery; Rodriguez also uses parallelism and ethos to point out how a bilingual childhood can help students feel connected to society.

The greatest concern of mandating “English only” schools in California for example is that 80 percent of the population of students is Latino. Miner further explains, “Good bilingual programs are about more than learning a language, it should be about respect for diversity and multiculturalism (Bilingual Education, 1999).”

Around 1959, bilingual education took flight in the United States. Starting in Miami and quickly making its way San Francisco, bilingual education soon led to the Bilingual Education Act which promoted “No Child Left Behind”. Only twenty years later, the act acquired the attention of high schools around the country. Nonetheless, bilingual education is not always taken to be the cure-all for acclimating immigrants to the United States. In his article “Aria: A Memoir of Bilingual Childhood”, Richard Rodriguez argues that students should not take part in bilingual education by explaining how it takes away individuality and a sense of family through use of ethos, diction, and imagery; Rodriguez also uses

In the 1970’s bilingual education in Texas was just beginning to emerge. The topic was contentious, towards the end of the 1970’s however we see a shift in the topic, not advocating for bilingual education as it had at first, but looking at the results of bilingual education and the ways in which it could be improved. I will be analyzing the ways in which bilingual education was approached in this decade, focusing heavily on Texas but occasionally looking at the Southwest. Texas has always set the pattern for the rest of the country in terms of academics, by looking at the emergence of the bilingual education movement it will aid in the understanding of where bilingual education is today. The fight for equal education went through various iterations:

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the Federal Bilingual Education Act of 1968, ended the War on Poverty. Bilingual education is the use of more than one language to deliver curriculum content. The bilingual education system is designed for students to become proficient in English, and also encourage students to become bi-cultural; and function in two, or more linguistic and cultural groups. The policy expressed U.S commitment to the needs of the growing number of children in the public schools, whose first language was not English. In 1968, the government passed the Bilingual Education Act, which required language minority students to be taught in both their native language and English. I myself had to undergo English as a

Prior to the passing of California proposition 227, immigrant children, mainly Latinos, were taught in their native language until they could transition into English-only classes. Students with limited-English-proficiency (LEP) would participate in bilingual education over a number of years before making this transition. After proposition 227, the percentage of children in bilingual programs dropped from 29 percent to 11, only those who were able to obtain waivers from school authorities were permitted to stay in bilingual programs (Bali, 2001). Proposition 227 was controversial because its opponents claimed that it was rooted in anti-immigrant sentiments and it was a return to ‘sink or swim’ programs which would

“Following the Immigration Act of 1965, legislation was passed to contribute the public schools in dealing with the influx of non-English-speaking students. Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 supported programs for educating these students, including transitional bilingual education programs” (Echevarria and Graves 2011, p.350). This Act did not fully articulate how to go about educating these students, so an unclear message was received or not received in whether there was going to be a process of their first languages or a complete transition to English. “The outcome was that most ELs were consigned in English-only classrooms without suitable

The amendments created established goals for the program, explicitly defined what bilingual programs would be, and mandated that feedback would be provided on the programs to determine whether or not they were meeting their goals. It also eliminated the low-income requirement for students to receive the supplemental education. Also in 1974 came a ruling in Lau vs. Nichols, which determined that school districts must provide bilingual programs. “The Supreme Court reasoned that the responsibility to overcome language barriers that impede full integration of students falls on the school boards and not on the parents or children; otherwise, there is no real access for these students to a meaningful education.” (64)

This legislation undermined the English-only legislation still official in some states (Baker, 1997). The original Bilingual Education Act of 1968 had the following main purposes: “(1) increase English-language skills. (2) maintain and perhaps increase mother-tongue skills, and (3) support the cultural heritage of the student” (Leibowitz, 1980, p. 24). According to Crawford (1989), the White House exerted pressure on Congress to approve no funding for Title VII during the first year. In 1969, a scanty appropriation of $7.5 million was sufficient to just fund projects that served 27,000 ELLs (Crawford, 1989). Crawford (1989) states that about 112,000 ELLs were served in 1972 out of the estimated 5 million school age

Throughout the decade, there has been more of an effort, albeit slow-moving, in trying to help out the bilingual student sector of our education system. The most impactful legislation, I believe, that was a vital toward helping this sector, was Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, signed into law on January 2, 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson. As a formal teacher, President Johnson was an avid believer in equal opportunities for those children of low-income families, of which many of the EL students were. Title VII I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 “promot[ed] equal access to the curriculum, training a generation of educators, sniff fostering achievement among students…” Because of this tremendous act, it was a huge stepping stone for young children to learn a second language. It would help them master the English language for high school and gave them an opportunity to go to college. Starting them early, children would be prideful of their culture while encouraging them to learn English. For much of the bilingual movement, bilingualism has been seen as a foreigners not wanting to be American because they wanted to keep up their own, different cultural identity. The original Bilingual Education Act tried to promote linguistic, cultural differences and diversity in the United States, which challenged many popular assimilation theories and the "melting pot" concept of the United States. When it was signed in its final form,

Senator Ralph Yarborough introduced a bill in 1967, the bill proposed to assist schools with the incorporation of Educational programs for LESA students. The act was mainly focused on Elementary and secondary education levels. Baker, (2001) states that the legislation was mainly designed to help Spanish speakers who were observed and were seen as falling into the school system. The law was passed in an attempt to encourage local school districts to incorporate the native language instruction. Previously LEP students were ignored and were forced to the all English-classroom. The native language of many immigrant students was not being considered and therefore many dropped out of school. Realizing its ineffectiveness the Bilingual Education Act of 1968 was passed. This law would allow the growing number of non-English speakers to receive instruction in their native language. It was seen as “a way to overcome language barriers that had led to chronic lack of academic achievement on the part of language minority students” (Gonzalez, 2008). Only school districts that tried to incorporate native language instruction would receive federal funding under Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. “It authorized the use of federal funds for the education of speakers of languages other than English” (Baker,

Since the 1960s, two-way immersion (TWI) education programs have existed in the United States and have recently seen a surge in growth in the last two decades. Consistent research results have caused many educators, administrators and parents to recognize the benefits associated for all students involved in these programs, which has encouraged the expansion and implementation of these types of programs across the US. In addition to the need to educate the vast growing minority language demographic in the US, bilingual education leads to academic achievement for all involved (Lindhold-Leary 2004). If the research clearly shows that TWI programs not only help the language-minority groups but also the language-majority groups to achieve at or above-average grade level academic success in two languages, then why aren’t all parents urging their school administrators to implement programs in their kids schools? Although the number of TWI schools has grown significantly since the first one opened in Coral Gables, FL in 1963, the lack of common knowledge of the existence and success of these programs is one of the main factors to blame for the slow evolution of our schools into TWI based schools.

In this literature review I will be discussing studies that are in favor, not in favor, and neutral on bilingual education.