According to the Glossary of Education Reform ("English language learner," 2013), English Language Learners (ELL) are students who are unable to communicate fluently or learn effective in English; who often come from non English speaking homes and backgrounds. And who typically require specialized or modified instruction in both English language and in their academic courses. Immigrants make up 13% of the United States population, and within the 13% many people have children who speak their native language. In 1974, there was a Supreme Court Justice case, Lau vs. Nichols. Kenny Lau was a Chinese immigrant, and his lawyers thought it was unfair for him to only be taught in English when he was at school. Kenny did not know the English language, therefore when he was in school he was not learning. Education systems had to do something, so that non-speaking English students would have equal access to education. There was even research done that showed English Language Learners had a higher dropout rate, and their grades were significantly lower than students who spoke English. This led to school creating programs for ELL students. The programs that were created can be summarized in to five categories. English As A Second Language English as a second language (ESL) refers to people who have not learned English as their primary language. Some people may say that ESL is not a correct term, because there are many students who are learning English as their third or fourth language. Therefore, a better term to use would be Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). The main goal of ESL and TESOL programs are to, develop students' English-language skills, with a primary focus on communication, grammar, and vocabulary (Ameri... ... middle of paper ... ...chool that spoke Spanish. There were achievement tests given to each of the four groups and the results were that the English and Spanish Amigos both performed better on the tests in general. Works Cited American Federation of Teachers. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/12932/ Ell in elementary schools. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://sitemaker.umich.edu/356.hunemorder/late-exit_bilingual_education English language learner. (2013, August 29). Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/english-language-learner/ Sheltered or scaffolded instruction support and alignment. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.teachingenglishlearners.com/ells-and-academic-success/sheltered-instruction Two-way bilingual education programs in practice: A national and local perspective. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/ed379915.html
After viewing the panel discussion about how our local school districts have implemented English Language Learning in their school, I am very intrigued. From what I gathered the field of ELL is a growing industry in education, especially in Colorado Springs. We have ELL’s students coming from all over the world. Here in Colorado Springs alone, school districts have to accommodate for over fifty different languages spoken by ELL’s. I can only imagine the challenge that comes with such a diverse group of non- English speakers in our community schools.
Due to the rise in immigration and the demographics of classrooms in America are changing. As a result, English Language Learners are becoming more common in schools. English Language Learners make up one of the largest demographics in the American Classroom (Flynn & Hill, 2005). These students have been observed to have a major achievement gap because many of these students are placed in mainstream classrooms with basic literacy skills. Many English Language Learners are born in the United States (Goldenberg, 2008). These students have only attended the school system in America. However, the achievement levels are nowhere near the level of their peers. According to Calderon, Slavin, and Sanchez (2011) “these students, who have been in U.S. schools since kindergarten, are still classified as limited English proficient when they reach middle or high school— suggesting strongly that preschool and elementary programs are not adequately addressing the needs of English learners.” The achievement gap between English Language Learners and native English speaking students is extremely high. English Language Learners tests scores are low. According to the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress, “fourth grade ELLs scored 36 points lower than their peers on the reading section of the test and 25 points below their peers in math. The results in eighth grade were worse with a difference of 42 points in reading and 37 points in math” (Goldenberg, 2008). The gap between ELLs and non-ELLs are three to eighteen points larger then students from low-income households.
The Civil Rights era fostered a rejuvenation of the movement toward bilingual education. Amid with the desire of the nation to eliminate discrimination, the Bilingual Education Act of 1968 came into being. Certainly this act was at least in part the result of a growing num...
Every year, the number of immigrants in the U.S. has grown “significantly.” Chen predicts that by the year of 2020, public schools will have at least 50 percent of students that are non-English speakers (¶5). This shows that it is important that public schools have a successful ESL program. The purpose of ESL programs is “to enhance” ESL students learning, to help students’ “emotional well-being”, and to accelerate students’ ability to learn the new language. According to Chen, some district schools have failed to support ESL students’ learning. For example, Chen stated that “...[some] school districts [have been] accused of not meeting t...
Bilingual education in public schools has been the topic of much discussion over the last several years. This discussion has been prompted due to the ever increasing numbers of Spanish-speaking persons emigrating to the United States, especially in those states that border Mexico--California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. What the debate seems always to overlook is our country’s other non-English speaking members. This country is now and has always been the “Melting Pot” for the world with persons emigrating to this country from most every country in the world; however, we commonly gear the focus of bilingual education toward our Spanish-speaking citizens.
Education for all students has been the mandate of the public school system for many generations. In 1974, in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Lau v. Nichols brought the focus of equal educational opportunities to include those who did not speak English or had limited English proficiency (Lau v. Nichols, January 21, 1974). By examining this court case, one will become familiar with the court’s ruling, understand the impact on the education of non-English speakers including the academic achievement, and improvement of education for the English language learners.
Monzó and Rueda (2009) conducted a study examining the concept of passing for English proficient in Latino immigrant children. They studied a group of Latino English language learners (ELLs) in and outside of school. They not only observed these students but also interviewed them as well. Within these interviews students opened up about their feelings about their first language, English, and their place in American society. Monzó and Rueda (2009) then found within their data the most common forms of passing for English proficient that these students used.
Sometimes, throughout the United States, high school students are required to take another course to graduate successfully. In order to be eligible for this requirement, the student must speak another language or be born in another country that is not fluent in English. This requirement is a program called many names, but is mainly known as English as a Second Language (ESL). This program is supposed to help students improve their English proficiency in areas such as listening, speaking, reading and writing. Though, to determine whether or not a student is able to be proficient in English, they must take a test and also must pass the test more than once.
Dual language is a form of education in which students are taught to read and write in two languages. The majority of dual language programs in the United States teach in English and Spanish, although there are emerging programs that teach in Mandarin, Japanese and Hindi. The programs start of mostly in kindergarten sand 1st grade and continue throughout primary education, in addition some dual language programs depending on the grade continue through middle and high school. Even Hayward’s own Burbank elementary and Winton middle school are offering dual language programs. Each level of teaching uses a different language ratio in which class is instructed the classes start off with a 90:10 ration and later as years pass the ration becomes a steady 50:50 (Lindholm-Leary, Kathryn J,2001). The goals of dual language immersion programs are to get children to become both bi-literate and bilingual, in other words, they will be able to speak and write fluently in two different languages. Dual language programs are becoming more and more common most of them are in public school but there are some beginning to become present private and charter schools. Dual language education should be introduced in all elementary schools beginning in the Kindergarten to boost achievement for English language learners, benefits it will bring to the community, outstanding brain benefits and lastly cost efficiency in education across the United States.
Opinion Editorial By Hassan Abdi In the article written by Richard Rodriguez, Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood, he conveys an opinion that Bilingual education doesn’t work. He conveys it through his personal experience. Published by the Phi Beta Kappa to the American Society in 1981, the audience and his message are a broad and important now as it was thirty five years ago. As the amount of children that don’t speak English as their first language continue to rise, bilingual education has become a polarizing topic like most things, and for me, I am neutral on the topic. A form of bilingual education has failed me, but, for most students it benefits in the long term, and it 's not right to dispel one side of the topic to push your own
Living in a diverse community has made daily life an interesting experience by constantly adapting to new cultures and languages. The individuals who have acquired an additional language, other than their native language, are known as bilinguals. With the number of bilinguals increasing year after year, individuals are left to question the importance of bilingual education. Bilingual education is the method of teaching using two languages to give a student a concrete understanding of the material. Bilingual education has become a controversial topic where some feel like bilingual education is of great importance and others strongly disagree. In my opinion, Bilingual Education is an exceptional method of teaching with countless benefits for
The academic disadvantage was a delay in learning the English language. The crowded classroom had thirty to thirty-five students who came from a variety of Latin American nations. As a result, I used to speak Spanish with them. I didn’t want to make mistakes using incorrect words. Also...
The current bilingual education program in ineffective in teaching non-English students English and assimilating them into the English-speaking American society. It's ineffectiveness is seen in the students not learning English, or being able to speak it; students who are capable of speaking English abusing the system because it's an easy way out; and the waste of money the current system is.
Out of all the American institutions that exist today, the educational system has one of the greatest impacts on the lives of people, especially for immigrants and their children who do not know how to speak English. The English language is a whole new, different perspective for people who come to America for the first time; their whole environment changes as well. The majority of the people who come to the United States are Hispanics, who are usually at the poverty level. Like everyone who come to America, they want to pursue a better quality of life, and in order to do that, you have to know how to speak the universal language, the English language. The myth of education here is that everyone can learn the same way through the English language—but that is not the case.
America, a country built on immigration dating back to the early 1600s Mayflower voyage, continues to thrive as a melting pot full of various cultures and ethnicities. In the past, many immigrants came to America due to the offered freedoms and equality, yet today, many naturalized citizens suffer with injustices, including with educational practices. The use of bilingual education, which teaches students in both English and their native language, has become a controversial topic. In 1968, the Bilingual Education Act, which recognized and offered education to students who were lacking English, was passed, yet the topic still seems questionable to some. Bilingual education provides a variety of beneficial attributes to help foreigners by improving their lives as native speakers, with education benefits, health benefits, and future opportunities.