[lg policy] Framing bilingualism as an asset

Thu Mar 7 21:06:09 UTC 2019

Framing Bilingualism as an Asset
March 5, 2019
54
<http://www.sdlback.com/newcomer-ell>

*Aaron Loewenberg highlights some of the ways Head Start is adapting to
serve young dual language learners across the country*

It is no secret that the U.S. is undergoing a demographic shift. Students
of color are now a majority of kindergarten students and are projected by
the Census Bureau to be a majority of all children by 2020. The Census
Bureau also estimates that no one racial group will be a majority of the
country by 2044.

These demographic shifts are evident in Head Start, the federal program
that promotes school readiness for children from low-income families from
birth to age five. In 2017, Hispanic/Latino children represented 37% of
total Head Start enrollment, up from 19% in 1980. The program has also seen
an increase in the number of children who are classified as dual language
learners (DLLs), meaning they have a primary home language other than
English. The percentage of DLLs entering Head Start has increased from 17%
in 2000 to 24% in 2014. These students speak a combined total of over 140
languages and are enrolled in 87% of all Head Start programs. Almost all
(96%) of these students were born in the U.S., but over three-quarters are
in families in which both parents were born in another country.
While high-quality early education, such as that offered by Head Start,
matters for all children, studies suggest that DLLs may benefit even more
than their peers from participating in these programs. Studies have also
found that early-education programs that use dual-immersion models of
teaching, as opposed to English-only models, produce favorable cognitive,
achievement, and social outcomes for DLLs and their English-speaking peers.

As the share of DLLs enrolled in Head Start continues to increase, programs
must work proactively to ensure they are meeting the needs of these
children and families. The 2007 reauthorization of Head Start tasked the
Department of Health and Human Services with updating the Head Start
Performance Standards that all programs must follow. The updated
Performance Standards, which went into effect in November 2016, are the
first complete reorganization of the standards since they were originally
published in 1975 and represent a major step forward in better serving DLL
children and their families.

Some of the specific provisions in the standards related to DLLs are
unchanged. For example, the standards continue to mandate that at least one
class staff member must be fluent in a non-English language if a majority
of the children in the class speak that language. In other words, if twelve
out of 20 Head Start children in a classroom speak Spanish, programs are
required to find an adult to serve in that classroom who also speaks
Spanish.

But what is most exciting about the updated standards is that for the first
time, the standards mandate that programs “must recognize bilingualism and
biliteracy as strengths and implement research-based teaching practices
that support their development.” These practices include implementing
teaching practices that focus on the development of the home language for
infant and toddler DLLs and using teaching practices that focus on both
English language acquisition and the continued development of the home
language. For the first time, programs are required to assess DLLs.

in the language(s) that best capture their skill levels and must assess
language skills in both English and the home language. The standards also
mandate that programs develop a comprehensive approach to ensure the full
and effective participation of DLL children and their families.

The common thread in the updated standards is the recognition that a
child’s home language is an asset that should be cultivated, rather than a
hindrance to be overcome in the quest to learn English. Dr. Marlene Zepeda,
a DLL early-education expert, praised the fact that strategies for better
serving DLLs are incorporated throughout the new standards while moving
from a deficit perspective to “a more strength-based approach in a very
explicit way.”

The new emphasis on home-language development is supported by a vast amount
of research about how to best support the language development of DLLs. For
example, studies suggest that strong home-language skills help build skills
in English.10 DLLs who are exposed to rich language experiences in their
home languages and build strong skills in those languages are more likely
to develop strong second-language competencies. For more information about
the importance of home-language development, see this joint policy
statement from the Departments of Health and Human Services and Education.

While the updated standards set out many requirements for programs serving
DLLs, the good news is that Head Start offers several resources to help
programs.
The Office of Head Start maintains twelve regional offices around the
country tasked with providing assistance to local programs. Head Start has
also published a DLL toolkit that includes a variety of useful resources,
such as research on DLLs and DLL-specific topics for professional
development. Additionally, the Office of Head Start has a website full of
information about the importance of supporting home-language development.
Finally, Head Start recently launched the Dual Language Learners Program
Assessment (DLLPA). The DLLPA is meant to help programs identify strengths
and areas of improvement for effectively serving dual language learners and
their families.

References
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/03/04/390672196/for-u-s-children-minorities-will-be-the-majority-by-2020-census-says
<http://%20https//www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/03/04/390672196/for-u-s-children-minorities-will-be-the-majority-by-2020-census-says>
https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p25-1143.pdf
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/hs-program-fact-sheet-2017_0.pdf
https://www.mathematica-mpr.com/our-publications-and-findings/publications/a-spotlight-on-dual-language-learners-in-head-start-faces-2014
<http://%20https//www.mathematica-mpr.com/our-publications-and-findings/publications/a-spotlight-on-dual-language-learners-in-head-start-faces-2014>
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/culture-language/article/home-language-support
<http://%20https//eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/culture-language/article/home-language-support>
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/us/politics/head-start-preschool.html
<http://%20https//www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/us/politics/head-start-preschool.html>
https://www.jstor.org/stable/42956353?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
<http://%20https//www.jstor.org/stable/42956353?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents>
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ782965 <http://%20https//eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ782965>
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/hspps-final.pdf
<http://%20https//eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/hspps-final.pdf>
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1047789
<http://%20https//eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1047789>
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/dll-policy-statement-final.pdf
<http://%20https//eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/dll-policy-statement-final.pdf>
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/culture-language/article/dual-language-learners-toolkit
<http://%20https//eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/culture-language/article/dual-language-learners-toolkit>
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/culture-language/article/home-language-support
<http://%20https//eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/culture-language/article/home-language-support>
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/culture-language/guide-dual-language-learners-program-assessment-dllpa/dual-language-learners
<http://%20https//eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/culture-language/guide-dual-language-learners-program-assessment-dllpa/dual-language-learners>

Aaron Loewenberg is a policy analyst with the Education Policy program at
New America. He is a member of the early and elementary education team,
where he provides research and analysis on policies that impact children
from birth through third grade. Before joining New America, he taught pre-K
and kindergarten for four years in Washington, DC. Loewenberg holds a
bachelor’s degree in government and a master’s degree in educational policy
and leadership, both from American University. This article is published
with the permission of New America (www.newamerica.org).

   - TAGS
   - english <https://www.languagemagazine.com/tag/english/>
   - learner <https://www.languagemagazine.com/tag/learner/>

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 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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