[lg policy] Critics: Lack of diversity in Indiana dual language policy is a lost opportunity

Tue Oct 4 15:39:18 UTC 2016

Critics: Lack of diversity in Indiana dual language policy is a lost
opportunity
By Shaina Cavazos <http://www.chalkbeat.org/author/shaina-cavazos/>
@ShainaRC <http://twitter.com/ShainaRC>
scavazos at chalkbeat.org
Published: October 3, 2016 - 8:52 a.m. EDT
<http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/in/2016/10/03/critics-lack-of-diversity-in-indiana-dual-language-policy-is-a-lost-opportunity/#article-comments>
[image: Zoe Roman, a kindergartener in Global Prep Academy's dual language
program, fills in a writing worksheet.]
Zoe Roman, a kindergartener in Global Prep Academy's dual language program,
fills in a writing worksheet.
( Photo by Shaina Cavazos )

When Mariama Carson was a teacher in Pike Township, she saw firsthand how
the heritage of her Spanish-speaking students was constantly being brushed
to the side as they were encouraged to learn English.

“What we were doing was pushing down anything other than English,” said
Carson. “We have students who are native Spanish-speakers who cannot read
or write or send an email or text correctly to their own family members.
That is wrong.”

So Carson decided to do something about it: She created a dual language
school called Global Prep Academy where kids would learn half the day in
English and half the day in Spanish as a new innovation charter school in
Indianapolis Public Schools
<http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/in/2015/12/22/the-basics-of-the-ips-plan-for-school-autonomy-and-innovation/>
.

The dual-language method of immersing students in their native language for
part of their class time and in English for another part is growing in
popularity across the country as studies show it’s one of the most
effective ways to help non-English speaking children
<http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/in/2015/07/16/the-basics-of-english-language-learning-schools-struggle-to-adapt/#.V_HDtqOZNqw>
master English while gaining the ability to read and write in their native
language.

*Read: 20 years of Spanish immersion make Lawrence Township a model for
Indiana
<http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/in/2015/06/01/20-years-of-spanish-immersion-make-lawrence-township-a-model-for-indiana/>*

The programs are also popular with parents of English-speaking children who
want their kids to learn a second language from a young age, so Indiana
launched a pilot program
<http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2015/bills/senate/267> two years ago that
made funds available to schools that wanted to create or expand dual
language programs.

Global Prep
<http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/in/2015/07/28/carson-pitches-global-prep-charter-school-to-be-housed-by-ips/#.V_HDs6OZNqw>,
which is located in the School 44 building on the city’s west side, was one
of nine schools
<http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/in/2016/06/15/new-round-of-grants-to-expand-language-immersion-in-indiana/>
that split $1 million in funding over two years for the programs.

But critics say the money isn’t being used as effectively as it could be
because several of the schools
<http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/in/2015/08/20/warren-township-school-receives-almost-100000-for-spanish-immersion-pilot/#.V_HDtKOZNqw>
that received the funds enroll mostly English-speaking kids.
"The research that is often referred to to sell these programs or to
popularize them … is actually the research that applies to progress that
includes English-learners,"Barbara Kennedy, Center for Applied Linguistics

That means the money isn’t helping as many children learn English as it
could. It’s also not harnessing the full potential of dual language programs
<http://hepg.org/hel-home/issues/27_2/helarticle/dual-language-programs-on-the-rise#home>
to help English-speaking children learn a language like Spanish from being
around peers who speak that language at home.

That’s a lost opportunity, said Barbara Kennedy, director of dual language
and bilingual education services for the Center for Applied Linguistics
<http://www.cal.org/who-we-are>, a national nonprofit that researches and
advocates for language learning in education.

“The research that is often referred to to sell these programs or to
popularize them … is actually the research that applies to progress that
includes English-learners,” Kennedy said.

Studies of dual language programs conducted over the better part of the
past decade have shown that “two-way” language immersion programs that mix
students from different backgrounds post strong academic results
<http://www.houstonisd.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=153847&dataid=138455&FileName=HERC%20Research%20Briefs%204-15-15.pdf>
for all students involved, due in part because students can serve as models
for each other.

But when Indiana lawmakers created the dual language grant program in 2015,
they put few restrictions on the money, making no requirements that funds
go to schools with high numbers of students learning English. Class makeup
was never mentioned in the law that created the program or emphasized
in discussions surrounding its passage. The only requirement was that
programs start in kindergarten or first grade and divide instructional time
so that students spend half of their class time speaking English and the
other half speaking another language.

As a result Global Prep and another new program in Marion County, Warren
Township’s Pleasant Run Elementary School
<http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/in/2015/08/20/warren-township-school-receives-almost-100000-for-spanish-immersion-pilot/#.V_HDtKOZNqw>,
are the only grant recipients currently making a point of enrolling equal
numbers of English-learners and native English-speakers — the ratio that
experts say is the ideal mix for programs like these.
[image: Kindergarten students at Global Prep Academy.]
PHOTO: Shaina Cavazos
The students learn to identify shapes and compare and contrast them by
size, number of sides and color.
[image: Kindergarten students at Global Prep Academy.]
PHOTO: Shaina Cavazos
Kindergarten students at Global Prep Academy work on sorting by name. Their
teacher looks on as each student takes a turn.
[image: A kindergarten class at Global Prep Academy's dual language program
gather for a lesson in sorting.]
PHOTO: Shaina Cavazos
A kindergarten class at Global Prep Academy’s dual language program gather
for a lesson in sorting.
Three others in Goshen, Logansport and West Noble have not fully launched
their two-way programs, but the schools enroll about 30 percent of students
from households where English is not the primary language and could end up
with programs with more equal ratios of kids. The other four enroll
primarily English-speaking kids.

The four schools with mostly native English-speaking kids took slightly
more than half of the $1 million in funding — $532,792 — but enrolled small
numbers of English learners, between 0.5 percent and 12.2 percent.

That’s a dynamic that upsets researchers like Trish Morita-Mullaney from
Purdue University.

“Dual language immersion is to historically repair harm to those
communities,” Morita-Mullaney said. “Otherwise it’s … just benefitting
people who are already benefitting.”

The grant recipients aren’t doing anything wrong, but advocates like
Morita-Mullaney and Carson are hoping that if lawmakers next year discuss
the possibility of extending the grant program, they’ll consider including
incentives for schools that target a mix of kids from different language
backgrounds.

“If culture and language matter, as we know it does, we have to make sure
we are equalizing opportunities for all kids,” said Carson, who is married
to Democratic U.S. Rep. Andre Carson. “Dual-language programs initially
were set up for Spanish-speaking kids.”

When dual language dollars go to schools where most students speak English,
she said, there’s a danger that the programs could become little more than
an enrichment program for already advantaged children who want to boast
foreign language proficiency on their college applications.

“It wasn’t for these kids to get this economic advantage and now they’re
bilingual,” Carson said. “It was from an equity standpoint, and that is who
these programs should be serving.”

Not everyone shares this view, however.

It can be difficult politically for states like Indiana, where just 4.8
percent of students are English learners, to restrict funding for popular
programs to schools that have a high number of immigrants.

One of last year’s grant recipients was a school in rural Batesville that
got a little more than $172,000 to start a Mandarin immersion program.
[image: Students at Batesville Elementary School learn in a small group
from their teacher. The class is part of a language immersion program in
Mandarin.]
PHOTO: Melissa Burton
Students at Batesville Elementary School learn in a small group from their
teacher. The class is part of a language immersion program in Mandarin.

Melissa Burton, director of student learning in Batesville said she knows
the students in her program aren’t diverse. Nearly all of the district’s
elementary school students — 97 percent — are white and the population of
English-learners is decreasing, but dual langauge is a way for Batesville
to bring cultural knowledge and understanding to kids who might otherwise
never encounter a culture different from their own.

“I’m just so thrilled that a tiny little town like Batesville, at a small
school, that we can give our students this opportunity,” Burton said. “It’s
important that kids know a second language … I’m hoping (the program) draws
more diverse enrollment to our school corporation that may not happen just
because of our location.”
"It’s about exploring culture and building relationships, and in a place
where we don’t have a lot of diversity, it’s even more important to do
those things. This program will change the culture of our school."Melissa
Burton, Batesville Community Schools

Batesville’s program currently enrolls about 50 kindergarteners in two
classes. Each year, the district plans to add grades until the program
serves kindergarten to fifth grade. As kids grow into middle and high
school, the district is planning to add Chinese literacy classes and as
well as classes taught in Mandarin so students can keep up their skills.
The district also plans to offer Chinese culture classes for all students
in the district.

“Every teacher will be a Chinese culture teacher,” Burton said. “It’s not
just about the language. It’s about exploring culture and building
relationships, and in a place where we don’t have a lot of diversity, it’s
even more important to do those things. This program will change the
culture of our school.”

Conversations about whether money for dual language programs should target
children who are learning English have not gotten much attention in the
statehouse since it passed. In fact, it’s not even clear at the moment that
any money will be set aside in next year’s budget for dual language
programs.

Peggy Mayfield, R-Martinsville, who originally championed the grant program
law, says she has no plans to reintroduce any specific bills next year to
extend it — which means targeted funds for the programs is running out.

The state says it’s working to help the nine participating schools find
ways to be more efficient and sustain their programs, but Mayfield says she
hopes funding doesn’t dry up.

“If this is something that is highly desired by parents and teachers and
children, we need to give a close look to see how can we make this an
ongoing thing,” Mayfield said.
[image: A kindergarten student reaches for crayons during a lesson at
Global Prep Academy. The school has a Spanish dual language program for
grades K-2.]
PHOTO: Shaina Cavazos
A kindergarten student reaches for crayons during a lesson at Global Prep
Academy. The school has a Spanish dual language program for grades K-2.

Kim Park, who runs the program in Warren, isn’t too worried that the grant
program is ending. Her school is determined to find the money to continue
and has been thoughtful about buying books, software and other materials
that can last for multiple years.

Nathan Williamson who is the director of early learning and intervention
with the education department, said the state hopes the success and demand
for dual language immersion classes is enough to encourage the legislature
to continue the grants.

But for some, it’s more personal.

Cesar Roman, a parent of a Global prep student, wants to see policymakers
ensure the programs stick around — and not just because his daughter Zoe is
in one. A native Spanish-speaker, Roman learned in a dual language
classroom as a child growing up in East Chicago.

“I have seen the benefits first-hand,” Roman said. “You do have to make
some sort of policy or mandate to make sure that there is equity in the way
that the funds are being distributed and that learning is taking place for
all students.”
http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/in/2016/10/03/critics-lack-of-diversity-in-indiana-dual-language-policy-is-a-lost-opportunity/#.V_PL9yT7e-c

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