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BILINGUAL EDUCATION.
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Premise of bilingual education classes.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Pemise of bilingual education classes. Teaching children academic subjects in their native language. Support of traditional values of immigrant students' native culture. Easing the transition from one culture to another. Multicultural environment. Critics of bilingual education. Creation of a segragated classroom. Lack of opportunity to speak English. Lack of effectiveness.

Paper Introduction:
Bilingual education programs are all programs set up to provide support to non-English-speaking children. In most public debates, the main focus is on bilingual education programs that are designed to teach immigrant children education academic subjects in their native languages. English is gradually introduced into the classroom. Basically, the underlying idea is to allow immigrant children to keep up with studies in other academic subjects while they work on their English skills. Furthermore, providing bilingual education programs is also a way for schools to show their support of traditional values of the immigrant students’ native culture. Therefore, in this motivating and protective environment, the advocates of bilingual education programs seek to maximize the chances of academic success for these immigrant children by easing the

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She felt that there was no opportunity to speak English becauseonly Chinese was used everyday (Monagle & Hardy, 1991, p. Scholastic Update, 123(8), 11-14.Porter, R. At Oyster ElementarySchool in Washington, students are taught half the time in English and theother half in Spanish in a bilingual education program from kindergartenthrough sixth grade. Basically, theunderlying idea is to allow immigrant children to keep up with studies inother academic subjects while they work on their English skills.Furthermore, providing bilingual education programs is also a way forschools to show their support of traditional values of the immigrantstudents' native culture. As with mostparents, they are dependent on the advice of teachers to help theirchildren succeed academically. Some teachers in bilingual education programs canonly speak English and do not have training in teaching immigrant children.Furthermore, students have been placed in bilingual education classessimply because of their last name (Chavez & Lyon, 1996, p. Socio-economic backgrounds of the immigrant childrenmay also have been a decisive factor in determining the outcome of thechildren's success. Students such as Janey Shek from HongKong transferred out of a New York City bilingual education program afterone year. P. P. Phi Delta Kappan, 79(9), 672-678. 68 ). 672). They argue that immigrantchildren are still dropping out of schools in droves and few immigrantchildren transition to full English instruction classes (Rothstein, 1998,p. Insight on the News, 12(21), 24-28.Monagle, K., & Hardy, J. Controversy in the classroom. In contrast to the nightmarish experiences of parents in otherbilingual education programs, Feliz's experience testifies to theeffectiveness of a good bilingual education program. However, the reality is that parents often succumbunder the intense pressure by teachers and officials who tell them thattheir children cannot succeed in English-language classrooms. The outcome showed that morestudents from the latter group left their programs than the bilingualeducation program students after three years. J. Enrolled in a bilingual education program, Feliz made asmooth transition into a regular classroom after five years in thebilingual education program (Chavez & Lyons, 1996, p. The Atlantic Monthly, 281(5), 28-32.Rothstein, R. Society, 34(6), 31-4 .Porter, R. However, there can be an extensionof up to another three years if an individual review of the student'sprogress warrants the extension. In the New York City study, two groups of limited-English students were studied: Spanish and Haitian Creole speakers inbilingual education programs versus Russian, Korean and Chinese studentswith structured English instruction classes. This premise has been realized for individuals like Roberto Feliz, aBoston-area anesthesiologist, who had benefited from bilingual education.During a 1993 congressional hearing, he recounted how bilingual educationenabled him to revive his interest in school. Bilingual education programs have also fostered a multiculturalenvironment that acknowledges the need for children and their families tobe involved in the school activities through an extensive use of bilingualprofessionals. The fact that some bilingual education programs need to be alteredand improved cannot negate the advances made by effective bilingualeducation programs (Chavez & Lyons, 1996, p. A more recentsurvey of Latino parents in the five U.S. Some bilingual education programs have failed to implementappropriate practices. 672). (1991, January 11). The school district claims that their low dropoutrates are an indicator of the availability of a strong bilingual educationprogram. 672). In addition, longitudinal studies done in El Paso and New York Cityshowed that the costs of maintaining bilingual education programs farexceeded the benefits. The research of Jim Cummins, a bilingual-education theorist and aprofessor of education at the University of Toronto, provides thescientific perspective underlying bilingual education programs. In fact, only the Puerto Rican group supported bilingualeducation programs. Past experiences have shown that immigrant childrenfrom different parts of the world perform differently in response toparticular strategies. 29). For example, 67.5 percent ofgrade two students in the structured English programs left, compared to22.1 percent of students in bilingual education programs (Porter, 1997, pp.35-6). Teachers and schools also make the extra effort ofsending home information in the native language and use interpreters forparent-teacher conferences (Porter, 1998, pp. Certainly, the application of the practices of bilingual educationprograms has led to the creation of a segregated classroom. In September 1995, 15 parents whose children attended the bilingualeducation programs in the Brooklyn public schools filed a lawsuit, claimingthat their children had remained segregated in bilingual programs in excessof three years in some programs and more than six years in others.According to New York State law, participants should stay in bilingualprograms for no more than three years. Parents lost the case because they failed toexercise their legal right to remove their children from bilingualeducation programs. E. (1997, September-October). (1996, June 3.) Is bilingual education failing to help America's schoolchildren? 26). 679). According to these critics, the premise of bilingual educationclasses is a divisive concept that slows down the assimilation process ofthese immigrant children. 25). Bilingual education: The controversy. Ultimately, it is up to the parents andeducators to collaborate in order to provide an education that caters tothe individualized needs of their children. Without the bilingualeducation programs, Feliz, a bright student from Santo Domingo, wastransformed into a "stupid" student because he was struggling with Englishin the classroom. 29). Of all the ethnic groups,Asian parents were most adamant that their children be taught in Englishexclusive. By keeping children straddled between two worlds,bilingual education advocates are sabotaging the immigrant children'schances of learning a sufficient level of English to allow them to survivein the workplace (Rothstein, 1998, p. The politics of bilingual education. In fact, the opposition of parents to bilingual education programsstems from the extreme disillusionment of the effectiveness of theseprograms. However, in practice, many of thesestudents languished in these programs for even longer than six yearswithout a single review. 14). To most of these parents, it was the parents' duty toimpart cultural values to their children, not the schools'. 26). Since the advent of these programs, workshops were conductedfor educators to learn about historical and cultural backgrounds of themulticultural community. This lawsuit illuminates the severe problemsof bilingual education programs and their failure to serve the interests ofimmigrant children (Porter, 1998, p. However, critics of bilingual education point out that bilingualeducation programs have been an utter failure in enabling immigrantchildren to succeed in schools. However, there is littledoubt that there are Asians such as Hmong, Laotian and Cambodian childrenwho are lagging behind in schools without native language supports(Rothstein, 1998, p. In most public debates, the mainfocus is on bilingual education programs that are designed to teachimmigrant children education academic subjects in their native languages.English is gradually introduced into the classroom. Currently, some Asian immigrants excel in schoolwithout requiring any native language support. 28). cities-Houston, Los Angeles,Miami, New York and San Antonio-also yielded the same results (Porter,1998, p. Even after thirty years of implementation,there is still no indication that bilingual education programs work inhelping non-English-speaking students succeed. Thus far, there is no conclusive evidence that bilingualeducation programs or other strategies provide the best education forimmigrant children. Bilingual education programs are all programs set up to providesupport to non-English-speaking children. 28-9). ReferencesChavez, L., & Lyons, J. Accordingto Cummins, a strong command of the native language is a solid foundationfor the acquisition of a second language (Porter, 1998, p. Teachers aremore interested in teaching the native language and preserving nativeculture than with teaching English in the officially designated time ofthree years (Porter, 1998, p. (1998, May). Several national surveys conducted on parents with limited-Englishschool children found that most parents preferred their children to learnEnglish and study subjects taught in English. The case against bilingual education. Therefore, in this motivating and protectiveenvironment, the advocates of bilingual education programs seek to maximizethe chances of academic success for these immigrant children by easing thetransition from one culture to another (Rothstein, 1998, p. A national Parent PreferenceStudy conducted by the Educational Testing Service in 1988 included 2,9 Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican and Asian parents. Immigrant children who areimmersed in their native language at school and at home will not feel theincentive to tackle the difficult challenge of learning another language(Rothstein, 1998, p. The controversy over the effectiveness of bilingual educationprograms will continue to rage in the community as educators attempt tofind ways to accommodate the needs of the increasing numbers of immigrantchildren. 28). (1998, May).

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