The nature of dual-language programs

[R. A. Stegemann]

Hi everyone!

Can anyone provide a glimpse into what has been called a dual language
program in the following article. I  simply cannot imagine how it would
work. Are the children taught the same courses in two languages? The
same languages in two courses? Different courses in alternating
languages? What actually transpires in such a setting?

Sincerely,

R. A. Stegemann


On 6 Oct 2004, at 21:17, Harold F. Schiffman wrote:

>> From the NYTimes,  October 6, 2004
>
> Panel Focuses on Programs for Students New to English By ELISSA GOOTMAN
>
> More than a year after Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg promised to
> strengthen
> programs for students who do not speak English, advocates for those
> students testified yesterday that their achievement levels are still
> extremely low, that parents are often misinformed about their
> children's
> options, and that often those options are limited. Speaking at a
> hearing
> of the City Council's Education Committee, Carmen Faria, the city's
> deputy
> chancellor for teaching and learning, testified that the Department of
> Education had started to make headway. She cited improvements in the
> training of educators who work with non-native English speakers and
> said
> she was starting to hold principals accountable for such students.
> Previously, she said, those students were often considered the
> responsibility of supervisors in district offices.
>
> Ms. Faria testified that in the spring, only 7.5 percent of the
> system's
> 134,670 English language learners, as the students are called, passed
> tests allowing them to leave the special programs. But she suggested
> there
> could be problems with the test, which recently replaced a far less
> rigorous one. "Many more kids pass other tests at higher levels," she
> told
> reporters. Ms. Faria lauded the appointment of 107 English language
> learner instructional specialists and 20 supervisors. Together with
> Maria
> Santos, a senior manager in her office who also testified yesterday,
> Ms.
> Faria said she intended to improve math instruction in other languages
> and
> promote the use of technology to help students improve their English
> and
> other academic skills.
>
> Shortly after being appointed to her post seven months ago, Ms. Faria
> cited services for English language learners as one of her priorities.
> It
> is also a personal issue: growing up with parents who had recently
> immigrated from Spain, Ms. Faria started school speaking no English.
> Councilwoman Eva S. Moskowitz, chairwoman of the committee, said she
> believed that under Mr. Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein,
> the department had lagged in its efforts to improve services for
> non-native English speakers.
>
> "In my mind this is an area that requires very fundamental reform, and
> I'm
> not sure the administration has offered fundamental reform," Ms.
> Moskowitz
> said yesterday, saying student achievement among non-native English
> speakers represented an "abysmal state of affairs." "I'm a little
> surprised," she said. "They've been aggressive about a lot of other
> areas."
>
> Many of the problems cited by advocates and council members predated
> the
> mayor's control over the schools. One new complaint, however, is that
> some
> programs have been cut as large city high schools with English learner
> programs have been replaced by small specialized high schools, most of
> which lack the capacity to cater to such students. Ms. Faria testified
> that parents can choose among three types of programs:  dual-language
> programs, where half of the students in a class speak only English, the
> other half speak another language and the goal is for everyone to
> become
> bilingual; English as a Second Language, in which students are
> generally
> immersed in English and may take courses in their native language after
> school or at other times; and transitional bilingual education, in
> which
> the proportion of classes taught in a student's native language
> diminishes
> over time. But she acknowledged that there are not enough dual-language
> programs, saying more were in the works.
>
> Advocates, however, said that most parents do not fully understand the
> differences among the three choices and are often simply directed to
> whatever program has room.
>
> "These people use these words like 'parental choice' really because it
> sounds good politically," said Angelo Falcn, senior policy executive
> for
> the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund.
>
> Wayne Ho, executive director of the Coalition for Asian American
> Children
> and Families, applauded Chancellor Klein's recent decision to set up a
> special unit for translating school documents. But he said the office
> was
> poorly staffed. A spokeswoman for the Department of Education said the
> office had only two employees, but more would be hired.
>
>
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/06/nyregion/06school.html
>
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