It is very important for California's policymakers, educators, school communities and the public to understand the findings and implications of the study commissioned by the CA Department of Education on the impact of 5 years of implementation of Proposition 227. The investigators found that there were no significant differences in the performance of English Language Learners (ELL) in learning English and in academic achievement in programs according to the level of use students' first language as a medium of instruction or in Structured English Immersion. Based on this finding, the researchers concluded that language of instruction is not the determiner of how rapidly or slowly students acquire English and academic skills. They did find, however, a number of school and program factors that are associated with higher degrees of English learning and achievement. This comes as no surprise to bilingual educators and researchers, who have researched and identified effective school practices for language minority students for decades. These findings raise the question: If bilingual education programs are equally as effective as English-only programs when properly implemented, what justification is there for parents and school communities who prefer bilingual education for their students to be hindered or prohibited from implementing these programs? We need more dissemination of the research that identifies the cluster of factors that must be in place to ensure success for ELL rather than continuing the debate over language of instruction, which should be a matter for local school communities to decide for themselves.
Posted as a reply to:
Bilingual Education by Sarah Vogel
  
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