Region a Melting Pot of Bilingual Ed Programs

While schools in California prepare to dismantle bilingual education programs, Washington area educators are taking widely diverse approaches to the question: What is the most effective way to help immigrant children learn English?

Some area school systems, such as in Fairfax County, have opted for English-language instruction only. Others, such as in the District, are expanding their bilingual, or dual-language, programs. Still others, such as in Arlington County, face strong public opposition to plans for classes this fall aimed at determining whether Latino children learn better in Spanish or English.

In recent months, area educators said, the phrase “bilingual education” has become a loaded expression, widely misunderstood and fraught with political overtones, making it more difficult to devise programs for the 75,000 students in the region whose native language is not English.

“This has become an emotional touchstone. ‘Bilingual’ is a word that almost has lost its meaning,” said Kathleen F. Grove, an assistant school superintendent in Arlington, which has more than 4,000 children in language-assistance classes.

Grove said Arlington is desperate to learn why many Latino children perform badly on school tests. The county plans to start a pilot program this fall at a few schools, where Latino kindergartners will be taught half the time in English and half the time in Spanish. Some community leaders are incensed.

“This is a stealth way into what has been a failed effort in every other state that has tried it,” said Henriette Warfield, chairwoman of the Arlington Republican Party. “Getting kids proficient in English is the only road out for them. We think of them as dumb, and we water it down. And I say, stop doing it.”

A recent study by a team of researchers at George Mason University showed that during a period of several years, children educated half the time in each of two languages had more academic success than those taught English by other methods. But experts, confronted with numerous other studies on the benefits and drawbacks of various second-language education programs, have not reached a consensus.

Area school officials have chosen from an array of teaching methods. Some swear by English as a Second Language, in which students are taught in English by teachers trained in linguistics and language development. Others think full bilingual education is best for helping students learn a second language and be more literate.

In Fairfax County, more than 10,000 students receive assistance through English as a Second Language programs. Teachers and officials say most students rise to the challenge.

“I think the county is very brave,” said Taejung Welsh, an ESL teacher in Annandale. “They are really pushing the envelope and expecting high performance from each kid.” But bilingual education, she believes, works only “if the program is solid and the teachers push. . . . You really have to bombard the kids all the time” to make sure they understand.

During a recent ESL lesson about animals, Welsh acted out the sounds and behaviors of sheep, pigs and chickens. As Vietnamese, Iraqi and Chinese teenagers sang “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” Welsh listened carefully. “It’s not ‘Here a oink,’ it’s ‘Here an oink,’ ” she corrected. ” ‘Everywhere an oink.’ “

In the District, immigrant community leaders have long criticized the public schools as inadequate, and the system is under a federal order to beef up its services for the 8,400 students whose native language is not English. In planning for fall, school officials are looking to the Oyster School, a multi-ethnic elementary school in Northwest Washington where all students learn in both English and Spanish.

“In every country in the world except this one, learning a second language is considered an asset,” said Oyster’s principal, Paquita Holland, whose school has a long waiting list for admission. “If a [foreign-born] family is told their child has to be in a separate, lesser program, that sends a terrible message. The best way to tear down barriers is to put them with kids who have to learn their language, too.”

Currently, most District students who speak limited English are offered only “pull-out” sessions: brief daily classes with ESL teachers. Otherwise, they must struggle to keep up in regular class. This fall, officials plan to add “transitional” programs in eight schools, where Latino students will start learning in Spanish and gradually move to all-English classes.

“I would like to see [Oyster schools] all over the city,” said Mary Ellen Gallegos, director of the Office of Linguistic and Cultural Diversity for D.C. schools. “I have never met [an immigrant] parent who didn’t want their child to learn English. But if children learn to read in a language they understand, they can make a much better transition.”

In recent years, however, efforts to introduce dual-language instruction in two D.C. elementary schools, H.D. Cooke and Adams in Northwest Washington, have met resistance from teachers and mixed support from administrators. A federal grant was available to fund both bilingual education programs. But the one at Cooke was rejected, and the one at Adams was dropped after two years.

“It looked creative and appealing. But the commitment was weak, and the political reality was difficult,” said Claire Starkey, a former parent at Adams. “Teachers were afraid of losing their jobs if they didn’t learn Spanish. . . . My own child got so confused he thought they had put him in the wrong school. The program finally fell of its own weight.”

In Montgomery County, where more than 8,000 students receive language assistance, advocates complain that most schools still provide only “pull-out” ESL classes, viewed as the least effective method. But Rolling Terrace Elementary School in Takoma Park, a magnet school where half of the 800 students are Latino, offers more options for language assistance than any school in the area.

“It’s all individual. You don’t automatically go to program X, Y or Z,” said Robin Mathias, the principal. “I also try to hire teachers who speak some Spanish, so that . . . if teachers see a child stumbling, they can flip into Spanish and help.”

In California, many Latino parents supported last month’s successful ballot initiative opposing bilingual education, saying they felt it held their children back. In the Washington area, however, some Latino parents said they prefer a flexible approach.

“Every child is different. You need to learn about their background and find the right class,” said Jose Oyola, an Arlington parent. “People in this area are well informed. They won’t base their opinions on what is happening in California. If one program doesn’t produce results, we should try something else.”

Learning Another Language

A variety of language-assistance programs are used for children in Washington area schools. They include:

English as a Second Language (ESL)

Instruction in English, taught by teachers trained in linguistics and language acquisition. Offered in most public schools. “Pull-out” programs take students from regular class several hours a day for more help with English. “Content-based” programs teach most subjects, not just English, with ESL-trained teachers.

Foreign-language immersion

Instruction exclusively in a foreign language, such as Spanish, French, German or Japanese. Offered for American-born students in numerous private schools, and for both American- and foreign-born students in a few public schools.

Dual-language immersion

Also known as full bilingual education. Students are taught all subjects in two languages, with different teachers, for portions of the school week. Offered in some private schools, also a few public schools. “Transitional” program offered at some schools, with students taught in Spanish only, then gradually moved into English.

English immersion

Students taught all subjects in English, with limited native-language help, no matter what their language ability. No area school districts rely on this method alone.

High-intensity language training

Students put in entry-level ESL class, then allowed to “graduate” to higher level each time they pass a proficiency test. Offered in some suburban school systems.



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