Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Bilingual ed vs. immersion: Numbers don't lie

This article says bilingual language instruction works better than immersion classes. The writer is using his own experiences. Other people believe the opposite. - - Donna Poisl

by Carlos Guerra

Don't let ideologues more interested in wedge politics than in educating Texas kids hijack our language instruction programs for political ends.

The fact is that not even immigrants dispute that English is necessary. And if learning other languages were so easy, wouldn't many more Americans be, at least, bilingual?

The real issue is that many children — most, U.S. citizens — start school without the English proficiency needed to succeed at their grade level.

I recently recalled that my parents didn't speak English to me until a few months before I started school to give me a solid foundation in Spanish, upon which I could build my English. So, by the fall, I could answer most questions that a first-grader would be asked in English.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

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