A Push for French in New York Schools, from France - Nytimes.Com a Push for French in New York Schools, from France

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

A Push for French in New York Schools, from France - Nytimes.Com a Push for French in New York Schools, from France 30/1/2014 A Push for French in New York Schools, From France - NYTimes.com A Push for French in New York Schools, From France By KIRK SEMPLE JA N. 3 0, 2 01 4 EMAIL FACEBOOK TWITTER SAVE MORE From left, Liam Kelly, Anju Andren and Hudson Wong, fourth graders at Public School 58 in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, study French as part of a dual-language program funded by the French government. Kir sten Lu ce for Th e New Yor k Tim es In the fugue of tongues on New York’s streets, French has never been a dominant voice. And as surging numbers of Asian and Latino immigrants continue to tip the balance of foreign languages toward Chinese and Spanish, the idea of learning French, to some, may seem kind of quaint, even anachronistic. Ad Inf o Yet in the city’s public school system, the French dual- language program, in which half http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/nyregion/a-push-for-french-in-new-york-schools-from-france.html?ref=nyregion 1/7 30/1/2014 A Push for French in New York Schools, From France - NYTimes.com the classes are in French and the other half in English, is booming. Eight public schools offer a French/English curriculum for about 1,000 students, making it the third- largest dual-language program, after Spanish and Chinese. And demand continues to grow, with two more schools scheduled to join this year and at least seven groups of parents in different areas of the city lobbying their schools to participate. But even though the program is a signature feature of the city’s public schools, one of its most enthusiastic benefactors is not even American or, for that matter, local. It is the French government. Simon Solop, left, of P.S. 58 in Carroll Gardens, reading in French. The dual-language program in New York City started in 2007 at three elementary schools, including P.S. 58. Kirsten Luce for The New York Times Several levels of the French government — including the Ministries of http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/nyregion/a-push-for-french-in-new-york-schools-from-france.html?ref=nyregion 2/7 30/1/2014 A Push for French in New York Schools, From France - NYTimes.com Foreign Affairs and Education, the Senate and the National Assembly — have helped nurture the program, giving seed money and grants to individual schools in New York as well as paying for teacher training in France and course books for students. Now, the government is intensifying its commitment by spearheading a fund-raising campaign intended to accelerate the growth of the program. Officials from the French Embassy’s cultural division, housed in a landmark mansion on Fifth Avenue facing Central Park, are going cap-in-hand to French corporations and affluent parents — expatriate and American — whose children use the program. Their goal is to raise $2.8 million in five years to help support the expansion of the program to new schools. The campaign seems to resonate with a certain existential importance for France, which once controlled a vast empire stretching around the globe. The country’s identity is inexorably tied to French, and officials suggested that in promoting the teaching of the language worldwide — including taking a leading and unusual role in a public education initiative outside its borders — they were not only helping to enrich children, but also reinforcing and building the country’s economic, political and cultural ties with other countries. “It’s urgent because at the crossroads of many priorities are the language and the youth,” said Antonin Baudry, the embassy’s cultural counselor. At stake, he explained, is no less than “the future of the relationship between France and the United States.” Parents, teachers and program administrators cite a range of reasons for the success of the French program in the New York public schools, including the desire among multinational families to be able to move comfortably among cultures and languages and the advantages of multilingualism in an increasingly globalized world, particularly for a student’s future employment prospects. Some point to recent studies suggesting that bilingualism can improve cognitive skills and the brain’s health. Officials at the embassy and its nonprofit partner, the French American Cultural Exchange, are now hoping that these supporters will reinforce their enthusiasm with cash. Fabrice Jaumont, the embassy’s education attaché in New York, who is spearheading the campaign, delivered a blunt pitch: “If they are using these programs and benefit from these programs,” he said, “they should come up http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/nyregion/a-push-for-french-in-new-york-schools-from-france.html?ref=nyregion 3/7 30/1/2014 A Push for French in New York Schools, From France - NYTimes.com with the support.” The campaign, begun last month, has already drawn contributions from about 200 people, he said. The French dual-language program in the city started in 2007 at three elementary schools, including Public School 58 in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. The curriculum Watch Now: Super Bowl is now offered at six public XLVIII, by the numbers elementary schools and Watch: Dancers at their feet two middle schools in Watch: Pasta with parsnips and bacon Brooklyn and Manhattan; two more middle schools, also in Brooklyn, are scheduled to be added this fall, bringing student enrollment to about 1,300, Mr. Jaumont said. The city’s other dual-language programs include Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian and Spanish. Robin Sundick, principal of P.S. 84 on the Upper West Side, said she had received hundreds of applications, including Ad Inf o requests from other boroughs, every year for the 18-seat French and English kindergarten class, which opened in 2008. (She added a second kindergarten class this school year in response to the demand.) Most of the requests, she said, have come from nonnative French speakers. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/nyregion/a-push-for-french-in-new-york-schools-from-france.html?ref=nyregion 4/7 30/1/2014 A Push for French in New York Schools, From France - NYTimes.com At Middle School 256 on the Upper West Side, more than 300 families have applied for next year’s program in the sixth grade, said Naomi Fraser, a parent who helped begin the program at that school last fall. Some families have moved into neighborhoods zoned for dual-language schools just so their children can attend those classes. It is a shift that has spurred the settlement of a broader French-speaking population in some areas, a dynamic particularly evident in the brownstone precincts of Brooklyn where four of the schools are. Fabrice Jaumont, the French embassy ’s education attaché in New York, is spearheading the campaign to raise funds for the expansion of the program to new schools. Robert Caplin for The New York Times Carroll Gardens, and the adjoining neighborhoods of Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill, are now dotted with French-owned cafes and restaurants. Smith Street, a main road, is blocked off every year on Bastille Day for a street fair: The tricolor flies from shopfronts, boules are played, crepes are eaten. The area — predictably — has been called Little France and Little Paris. Officials at the city’s Education Department said other foreign governments had supported dual and bilingual programs, including the consulates general of Mexico and Spain. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/nyregion/a-push-for-french-in-new-york-schools-from-france.html?ref=nyregion 5/7 30/1/2014 A Push for French in New York Schools, From France - NYTimes.com But France’s level of involvement appears to be extraordinary. Mr. Jaumont, who also serves as a program officer at the French American Cultural Exchange, estimated that the government assistance, direct and indirect, had totaled at least $100,000 to $200,000 in grants, seed money, teacher training in France, books and the use of embassy staff time and buildings. “But I might be way below,” he added. Severe budget concerns in France have compelled embassy officials to turn to private contributions for additional support. The fund-raising campaign seeks to tap the largess of a relatively affluent population. For households headed by a French-born person, the median income is about $84,500, well above the citywide median of about $50,400, according to the latest Census Bureau data. About 15,800 French immigrants live in New York City. The goal is to create a seamless dual-language programming from kindergarten through 12th grade and increase student enrollment to about 7,000 within five years. According to the Census Bureau, about 84,400 New Yorkers older than 4 — or about 1.1 percent of the city’s population — primarily speak French (including patois and Cajun French) at home. French officials see in these figures a significant population of potential participants for their dual- language initiatives, in addition to students who speak other languages and want to learn French. One of the main goals of the fund-raising campaign is to provide access to the dual-language program in less affluent neighborhoods with growing Francophone populations, including areas of central Brooklyn populated by immigrants from Caribbean countries like Haiti, Guadeloupe and French Guiana; pockets of North Africans in Queens; and immigrant enclaves in the Bronx with residents from sub-Saharan countries including Guinea, Mali and Senegal. “We’d like to serve families in underserved areas,” Mr. Jaumont said. Diana Limongi Gabriele, an American-born parent married to a Frenchman, is trying to bring the program to Astoria, Queens.
Recommended publications
  • Dual Language Education: Answers to Questions from the Field Barbara Kennedy & José Medina, Center for Applied Linguistics
    September 2017 Dual Language Education: Answers to Questions From the Field Barbara Kennedy & José Medina, Center for Applied Linguistics Dual language education refers to programs that provide grade-level content and literacy instruction to all students through two languages—English and a partner lan- guage. In one-way dual language programs, the partner language is the native language of all of the students in the class. In two-way programs, approximately half the stu- dents are native speakers of the partner language and the other half are native speak- ers of English. Dual language programs typically begin in kindergarten or first grade and continue for a minimum of 5 years and have the goals of promoting bilingualism and biliteracy, high levels of academic achievement, and cross-cultural competence. An ideal dual language program would serve students from kindergarten through Grade 12, but the vast majority are implemented in elementary schools. For English learners, dual language programs offer a positive alternative to monolingual English instruction (also known as English immersion) and transi- tional bilingual education, which often do not provide the support English learners need to achieve academically and graduate at the same rates as their English-fluent peers (de Jong, 2014; Genesee, Lindholm-Leary, Saunders, & Christian, 2005; Lind- holm-Leary & Genesee, 2014). English learner participation in dual language educa- tion is associated with improved academic (Valentino & Reardon, 2014), linguistic, and emotional outcomes (Lindholm-Leary & Borsato, 2001). In addition to closing the achievement gap for English learners (Thomas & Collier, 2012), dual language education provides opportunities for all students to gain valuable multilingual and cross-cultural skills that prepare them to thrive in today’s global world.
    [Show full text]
  • Dual Language Program Overview
    DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM OVERVIEW Research support that students in Dual Language Programs outperform students who participate in transitional and developmental bilingual Programs Leslie Davison Hillsborough County Public Schools 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR Elementary Dual Language Programs K-1 K-3 K-4 Canella Reddick Bellamy Deer Park Westchase Crestwood Ruskin Hillsborough County Public Schools Mission Hillsborough County Public School’s Dual Language Immersion Program in partnership with students, parents, and the community, will establish a strong, standards-based curriculum, which promotes high academic achievement in both Spanish and English. It will cultivate global competence and an appreciation for a multicultural society. Vision Preparing bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural students for life. Hillsborough County Public Schools WHAT IS THE DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM? ➢A program that fosters the development of a students’ oral, written and reading proficiency in two languages. ➢Students in the Dual Language program are on a pathway to biliteracy with the goal of attaining the prestigious Florida State Seal of Biliteracy upon high school graduation. Hillsborough County Public Schools WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT FROM THE DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM? ➢ Become bilingual, biliterate and bicultural in both English and Spanish. ➢ Receive daily instruction in both English and in Spanish for all subject areas. ➢ Be taught the skills necessary to compete in a global society ➢ Gain an appreciation for other cultures ➢ Experience both languages through experiments,
    [Show full text]
  • Dual-Language Programs in U.S. Schools
    DUAL-LANGUAGE PROGRAMS IN U.S. SCHOOLS AN ALTERNATIVE TO MONOCULTURAL, MONOLINGUAL EDUCATION Eugene E. Garcia And Bryant Jensen Arizona State University (Draft 1/17/06) . Educating in Multiple. Languages: Myths It is often the case that resistance to children learning more than one language rests on a set of myths regarding multilingualism and dual language instruction. Some of these are outlined in the table below. Language Learning / Education Myths ON MULTILINGUALISM ON INSTRUCTION • “Learning a language is difficult enough, • “We need to teach English and non- learning two or more languages leads to English speakers English as quickly as interference with neither language being possible to give them the basics they will learned.” need later to learn content.” • “Learning two or more languages • “Support of the native language takes confuses children because they must time away from time which could be operate with two sets of symbols. This allowed for English language leads to thinking problems.” instruction.” • “Utilizing two or more languages during instruction confuses children causing them to tune-out.” Replication of proven models in dual-language immersion and attempts to design and implement such programs within a supportive framework can be highly positive for students and lead to academic and social success—discrediting these myths. Introduction to Dual-Language Immersion Dual Language (DL) programs are relatively new in the United States. After the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1994, a large federal effort related to the education of dual language students was launched. It was at this point that the US Department of Education promoted the development of educational programs whose goal was dual language competency for both language minority students speaking a non-English home language as well as for students whose home language was solely English.
    [Show full text]
  • For English Language Learners and Students with Disabilities
    for English Language Learners A RTS and Students with Disabilities 2018-19 Award List In 2018-19, a total of 303 schools will receive grants totaling $4.05 million to support arts partnerships that expand arts opportunities for diverse groups of student participants, with a focus on English Language Learners and students with disabilities. In addition to the grant amounts listed below, each school receives a $1,082 allocation to support DOE staff hours committed toward their projects. A list of grantees sorted by District-Borough-Number (DBN) is provided below. DBN School Arts Organization Partner Grant 01M188 P.S. 188 The Island School Third Street Music School $15,000 01M363 Neighborhood School Studio in a School $15,000 01M448 University Neighborhood High School Abrons Arts Center $15,000 01M515 Lower East Side Preparatory High School Learning Through an Expanded Arts Program (LEAP) $15,000 02M042 P.S. 042 Benjamin Altman Third Street Music School $15,000 The American Sign Language and English Secondary 02M047 Third Street Music School $15,000 School 02M124 P.S. 124 Yung Wing New York City Kids Project $9,522 02M151 Yorkville Community School 92nd Street Y $15,000 02M281 The River School Studio in a School $7,500 The 47 American Sign Language & English Lower 02M347 Creative Music Programs, Inc. $15,000 School 02M374 Gramercy Arts High School Learning Through an Expanded Arts Program (LEAP) $15,000 02M400 High School for Environmental Studies Lincoln Center Theater $7,464 02M432 Murray Hill Academy Learning Through an Expanded Arts Program (LEAP) $15,000 02M519 Talent Unlimited High School OPUS Dance Theatre $15,000 03M149 P.S.
    [Show full text]
  • ADMISSIONS GUIDE Myschools.Nyc
    BROOKLYN 2020 NYC MIDDLE SCHOOL ADMISSIONS GUIDE MySchools.nyc Explore. Choose. Apply. Use MySchools ( MySchools.nyc) to explore your middle school options, choose programs for your child’s application, and apply—all in one place. During the middle school application period, you can also use MySchools to: 0 Access your child’s middle school application—their school counselor can help with this. Your child’s personalized search experience will include as options the specific middle school programs they’re eligible to attend. 0 Explore your child’s options and save your favorite schools and programs. 0 Add up to 12 programs to your child’s middle school application. Place them in your true order of preference, with your first choice at the top as #1. 0 Apply by the deadline, December 2, 2019. Be sure to click the “Submit Application” button. We’re here to help! If you need support with MySchools or have questions about middle school admissions: 0 Talk to your current school counselor. 0 Call us at 718-935-2009. 0 Visit a Family Welcome Center—locations are listed on the inside back cover of this guide. ABOUT THE COVER 2020 Student: Alari Billig | Teacher: Carl Landegger | Principal: Manuel Ureña NYC Each year, the New York City Department of Education and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, HIGH partner on a cover design challenge for public high school students. This book’s cover was designed by Alari SCHOOL ADMISSIONS GUIDE Billig, a student at the High School of Art and Design. Billig’s design—titled The Many Faces of Us—reflects New York City’s diversity, capturing the beauty of individual identities and perspectives within our larger community.
    [Show full text]
  • Dual-Language Learners in the Preschool Classroom
    VOLUME 30, NO. 1 IN THIS Dual-Language Learners ISSUE in the Preschool Classroom FEATURE ARTICLE: BY KAREN N. NEMETH, LEAD CONSULTANT, LANGUAGE CASTLE LLC Dual-Language Learners in the Preschool Classroom It is well known that early language development is critical for the acquisition of page 1 literacy skills, general academic achievement, and the social and emotional well- being that comes from being able to communicate (Dickinson & Porche, 2011). Early CLASSROOM HINTS: educators are therefore intentional about creating language-rich environments for Supporting Dual-Language young children. Meeting this responsibility, however, can be challenging when teacher Learners With HighScope and child do not speak the same language. A preschool teacher from Morristown, New page 12 Jersey, commented that she felt she was providing lots of print and spoken language TRAINER-TO-TRAINER: but wasn’t sure how much language her students were actually receiving. Having Supporting Understanding children in her class who did not speak English made her much more aware of the in Any Language challenge of making language connections. page 14 SPECIAL EDUCATION: The Gift of Language page 16 ASK US: page 18 NEWS BRIEFS: page 19 Want to read more issues of Extensions? Join the HighScope Membership Association and receive Extensions Welcoming dual-language learners into the preschool classroom means giving these children in your inbox and have access to the several layers of support. Extensions archives. It’s easy to join! Visit highscope.org/membership. Volume 30, No. 1 • page 1 HIGHSCOPE | Extensions Dual-Language Learners in the Preschool Classroom, continued Welcoming children from diverse language backgrounds into the early childhood classroom requires giving children several layers of support.
    [Show full text]
  • 2021 - 2022 Pre-K/Kindergarten Dual Language Immersion Program Application
    2021 - 2022 Pre-K/Kindergarten Dual Language Immersion Program Application Please complete all sections of the application and return it via email to [email protected] as soon as possible and no later than May 30, 2021. Student Information Last Name First Name Middle Name Street Address Apt. # City State Zip Code Birth date Ethnic Identities (month/day/year) ☐ Hispanic or Latino ☐ Not Hispanic or Latino Racial Identities You are not required to answer this question. Student ID# ☐ Black or African American ☐ American Indian/Alaska Native Next Grade (for the 2021-22 school year) ☐ Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific slander ☐ Asian Choose One: ☐ PK ☐ K ☐ 1 ☐ White Language(s) the child communicates in most Please select your child’s zoned school frequently ☐ Palmer Elementary ☐ Saunders Elementary Parent/Guardian Printed Name Phone Number Daytime Phone Number Email Address Important Note: Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Sibling Priority Families and students must have a long-term commitment Siblings are children who have at least one parent in common and live to this program for a child to get the most from this in the same household. PRIORITY for admission to the DLI program will learning experience. It would be detrimental to all parties be given to brothers and sisters of students currently attending the DLI involved in the program for families not to fulfill this program. commitment. If you are strongly considering a move over the next few years, please consider whether this program Current DLI Student Information is appropriate
    [Show full text]
  • Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education
    GUIDING GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR DUAL LANGUAGE EDUCATION The third edition of Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education has been updated by a broad range of experts to reflect new knowledge, GUIDING practices, and policies in the arena of dual language education. Designed for educators, researchers, policymakers, and all who are interested in effective dual language education, the new edition of PRINCIPLES FOR this widely used resource includes enhancements to the principles that reflect learning from research and practice, updated literature reviews, and revised templates for program self-evaluation. DUAL LANGUAGE EDUCATION In the age of “self-help” and “how-to” The third edition of Guiding The revised Guiding Principles resources, Guiding Principles for Principles for Dual Language for Dual Language Education third EDITION Dual Language Education should be Education is must reading provides a vital roadmap for the obra principal for dual language for anyone interested in dual new program implementation educators. Including detailed language education. It provides as well as a refinement tool for information about how to begin, a comprehensive and accessible established programs. The clear refine, expand, and evaluate dual discussion of current thinking and concise format of the third language programs utilizing 21st about dual language teaching edition highlights the most recent century theories and research, this and learning based on up-to- research and presents the “why” comprehensive text is also practical date reviews of relevant research of crucial language development thiRD EDITION and concrete. It can help dual along with professional insights practices. This guide will help language educators make informed and experiences accumulated in educators create an inclusive and decisions about how to build the 10 years since the last edition.
    [Show full text]
  • New Jersey by Maki Park, Anna O’Toole, and Caitlin Katsiaficas
    Fact Sheet October 2017 Dual Language Learners A Demographic and Policy Profile for New Jersey By Maki Park, Anna O’Toole, and Caitlin Katsiaficas This fact sheet provides demographic information for the young Dual Language Learner (DLL) population in New Jersey, based on Migration Policy Institute (MPI) analysis of U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) data pooled over the 2011–15 period. DLLs, defined as children ages 8 and under with at least one parent who speaks a language otherfact sheet than also English provides at home, information are less likelyregarding than Englishtheir peers Learner to access (EL)1 high-quality early child- hood programs, although they stand to benefit disproportionately from such services. The experienced by DLLs later in their academic trajectories that may be anddue non-ELin part toacademic gaps in outcomes at the fourth-grade level as a means of estimating potential lags in achievement services as well as other risk factors outlined in this sociodemographic profile. Analysis of these data offers a snapshot of young DLLs in New Jersey and some of the risks to their academic success. This is followed by a checklist of state policies that can support DLLs inbasic early understanding childhood education of the characteristics and care (ECEC) of the programs substantial in an DLL effort population to provide in equitableNew Jersey servicesand the responsiveness and close later gapsof the in state’s achievement. policies Takento their together, needs. This this factanalysis sheet, aims part to of provide a series a ing DLLs across the United States.2 ACTS available for 30 states, is accompanied by a national analysis of trends and key policies affect- I.
    [Show full text]
  • French-English Bilingual Programs in New York City's Public Schools Are Growing. the Programs Were Developed
    We need teachers! French-English bilingual programs in New York City’s public schools are growing. The programs were developed not only to serve the French families who had initiated after- school programs, but also to meet the needs of a growing number of diverse Francophone immigrant children who are emergent bilinguals, better known as English Language Learners. Also, more and more non-French-speaking families are signing up for these high quality programs. A true bilingual revolution is taking place in New York's public schools. In order to succeed, French-English bilingual programs in New York require a solid tri-partite partnership –– strong commitment from the schools' leadership, very qualified and dedicated teachers, and ceaseless involvement from the parents at all levels. Schools hosting these programs also benefit from the diversity of the population they serve and the diversity of the teaching staff, able to incorporate linguistic and cultural differences into their pedagogy. This model is also rich in cognitive advancement and beneficial to the brain's executive control functions as neuroscience researchers have come to consensus about. Please circulate these job announcements Thank you Fabrice JAUMONT Education Attaché Embassy of France New York [email protected] Teacher needed for the dual-language program at The Clinton Hill School, PS 20 in Brooklyn The Clinton Hill School, PS 20 in Brooklyn will be opening a French dual language Kindergarten class in September 2013. We are looking for exceptional candidates to start this French dual language program. Our school is located on 225 Adelphi Street in the heart of Clinton Hill Brooklyn.
    [Show full text]
  • Dual Language Instruction TABLE of CONTENTS
    Center for School Success Best Practices Series Dual Language Instruction TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . .1 CRITERIA FOR BEST PRACTICE . .2 PROFESSIONAL DEVEOLOPMENT AMISTAD DUAL LANGUAGE SCHOOL . .4 CYPRESS HILLS COMMUNITY SCHOOL . .9 SHUANG WEN SCHOOL . .14 OVERVIEW AMISTAD DUAL LANGUAGE SCHOOL . .20 CYPRESS HILLS COMMUNITY SCHOOL . .22 SHUANG WEN SCHOOL . .24 INTRODUCTION ew Visions for Public Schools is the largest education reform organization dedicated to improving the quality of education children receive in New York City's public schools. Working with the public and pri- Nvate sectors, New Visions develops programs and policies to energize teaching and learning and raise the level of student achievement. The Center for School Success (CSS) at New Visions for Public Schools was founded in 1999 to document and disseminate innovative educational practices demonstrated by New Visions’ schools that hold promise for increas- ing student achievement throughout New York City. Over the first year, CSS concentrated its initial documentation efforts on educational practices of immediate concern to educational reform, both locally and nationally. During the 2000-2001 school year, CSS documented five promising practices at 11 exemplary school sites. The success of these schools should serve as examples that New York City public schools, serving the full range of students in New York City, can work. CSS hopes to continue to identify and disseminate a broad array of practices and relat- ed materials in order to support on-going systemic efforts to reform the New York City public schools and improve the educational opportunities available to the city’s schoolchildren. Dual Language programs, which have grown considerably in the past 15 years, integrate language minority and lan- guage majority students and provide instruction in English as well as a second language, usually the native language of the language minority students.
    [Show full text]
  • Starting New English Learner Education Programs and Available Grants Webinar, November 19, 2018 01 Alternative ELE Programs
    Starting New English Learner Education Programs and Available Grants Webinar, November 19, 2018 01 Alternative ELE Programs CONTENTS 02 ELE Program Proposal 03 Grant Opportunities 01 Alternative ELE Programs Alternative English Learner Education (ELE) Programs • Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) is not the only option anymore to meet the linguistic and academic needs of English learners (EL). • Alternative programs include: o Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) o Dual Language Education (DLE) or Two-Way Immersion (TWI) o Or any other research-based ELE program Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 4 Why should districts consider starting an alternative ELE program? • One size does not fit all. • ELs in DLE or TWI programs develop and maintain their home language while adding a second language to their repertoire. • TBE programs give students at different English proficiency levels who are more proficient in their home language than in English better access to the content curricula. • Students in DLE, TWI or TBE programs perform at least as well academically as comparable students educated monolingually, and have language and literacy capabilities in another language as well. • Bilingualism has cognitive benefits, including cognitive flexibility and creative thinking, communicative sensitivity, metalinguistic awareness, and enhanced executive function. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 5 What does research say? • Research is starting to document the benefits of extended mother-tongue instruction to ELLs (Collier & Thomas, 1997, 2002) • Foreign language immersion programs show superior results for English-speaking students (Lindholm & Aclan, 1991) • Parents are requesting more enrichment programs (Cloud, Genesee, Hamayan, 2000) Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 6 02 ELE Program Proposals New English Learner Education Program Proposals for SY 19-20 To support districts to design new programs that well-serve English Learners, there are two steps: 1.
    [Show full text]