Plural benefits of bilingual education

These schools are teaching American kids to be bilingual. They will benefit from this all their lives. DP

By Domenico Maceri
whittierdailynews.com: `WE know two languages. We can have friends that speak Spanish or English," stated 8-year-old Chloe McEnfarffer, a student in a dual language school in Oregon.

Chloe is smart far beyond her age. Although the United States has an ambiguous relationship with bilingualism, the value of knowing two or more languages is gaining strength.

It's happening in the increase of dual language schools, which teach all subjects in two languages, typically Spanish and English, but sometimes Chinese and English, Japanese and English, and other combinations.

Although the number of dual language programs is a small fraction of American schools, every time a new program is set up there are long lines of parents who want to enroll their kids.

The advantages of a bilingual education are becoming apparent to more and more Americans. As the world continues to get smaller, the realization that two languages can do more for the future becomes increasingly a reality.

Research supports the advantages to bilingualism. Bilingual children develop a mental agility which monolingual ones lack. That's what Laura-Ann Petitto, a researcher at Dartmouth University, revealed in a study published a few years ago. Bilingual children can perform certain cognitive tasks more accurately than monolinguals. They are also more creative, better at problem-solving, and also score higher on literacy tests.

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