[EDLING:299] Texas: Bilingual Education Debate

[Francis M Hult]

Via lgpolicy...

> Letters
> *Bilingual education debate
> *
> 
> Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
> 
> Must do our best for students
> 
> I read the Chronicle's July 9 article "Dual-language classes in Texas spark
> debate" with frustration. No educator would support an instructional program
> that would "minimize English as the primary language of this nation." The
> point is that bilingual education is the instructional strategy proven to be
> the most successful in bringing limited English proficient students to
> academic achievement *in English. *An examination of the data, such as those
> assembled by Virginia Collier, shows that LEP students who participate in
> bilingual programs score higher on English achievement tests than LEP
> students who participate in other programs. The only program that shows
> greater success is dual language. Every dual-language program I have seen or
> studied recruits volunteers for the English-speaking students. And most
> programs have waiting lists. So how can these students be considered "guinea
> pigs"?
> 
> The parents of these students are taking advantage of the opportunity for
> their children to achieve academically in two languages. The Collier study
> shows that their achievement in English does not suffer. It is true that LEP
> students often show poor passing rates on the English TAKS. Remember, these
> are math, science, history and reading tests — not language tests. Consider
> taking your children to France and having them attend French schools. Would
> you expect them to pass an algebra test administered in French at the same
> rate as the French students? Or how about a test in French history? How many
> years would you expect it to take your child to master academic content (in
> French) at the same level as his French classmates?
> 
> Immigration is not a debate for educators. Our challenge and privilege is to
> educate all students who come in our doors. Why not use the strategies that
> have shown the greatest success? Educating students with special needs costs
> more. But the cost of not doing our best for children is unacceptable.
> 
> *NANCY NICHOLS*
> *retired elementary school principal, Houston*
> 
> Why listen to teachers now?
> 
> The issue of dual-language classes is being decided by unqualified
> politicians (i.e. state legislators) with the help of politically correct
> consultants. What we teachers know is this: Students must be able to read to
> be successful in school, and phonics is the only proven way to teach
> effective reading skills.
> 
> Students learn reading skills best when they are taught to read phonetically
> *in the language they use at home.* Students in grades 1 to 3 cannot help
> each other because they have inadequate language skills to express
> themselves. Combining languages in these grades will not have a synergistic
> effect. In fact, the classes will probably fail to help either the English
> speaking students or the Spanish speaking students because both will use
> nonstandard grammatical constructs.
> 
> Conversely, combined language programs in grades 4 to 7 could work to the
> benefit of both Spanish and English speaking students provided both groups
> of students are well-grounded in proper grammar and reading skills in their
> primary language.
> 
> But why listen to teachers? Education policy has been set for years by
> ignoring their input.
> 
> *JAMES A. BABB*
> *Friendswood*
> 
> Restoring old Texas tradition
> 
> Monday's Page One story called two-way immersion bilingual education an
> "experiment." Actually, it's a tried and true method and an American and
> Texas tradition.
> 
> Between the Civil War and World War I, a number of cities such as
> Cincinnati, Cleveland and Indianapolis provided not just German instruction
> in their public elementary schools, but divided their school day roughly
> between English and German.
> 
> Kids in the German track in Cleveland got only 60 percent as much English
> reading, grammar and spelling per week as kids in the English-only track.
> 
> But there were apparently no ill effects. Kids from the bilingual track had
> higher passing rates on high school entrance exams (conducted entirely in
> English), than those from English-only classes.
> 
> An Anglo principal from Cincinnati reported similar results.
> 
> San Antonio had a German-English school run on similar principles. Although
> private, it was publicly subsidized.
> 
> In Texas in 1886, more than 4,400 kids were receiving German instruction in
> public schools, compared to 3,000 in private or parochial schools. Not until
> 1905 did Texas law even require English as the medium of instruction. Though
> less common, there were also instances of Polish, Italian and Czech being
> taught in public elementary schools in some states.
> 
> We should congratulate our Legislature for House Bill 2814 and for restoring
> an old Texas tradition.
> 
> *WALTER KAMPHOEFNER*
> *director of graduate studies, department of history, Texas A&M University,
> College Station*
> http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/4958144.html