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Our Focus Areas Linda Chavez Weekly Columns Emphasis on English Has Paid Off | Emphasis on English Has Paid Off |
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| Written by Linda Chavez | |
| Wednesday, 11 March 2009 | |
 More than five million children in the United States enter school speaking a language other than English — they represent a majority of students in many urban school districts. This population has grown rapidly over the last 30 years, especially among Spanish speakers who make up nearly 80 percent of this group and whose size has doubled in the last dozen years.For decades, the debate on how best to teach such children centered on whether and for how long they should receive instruction in their native language. But bilingual education — the method preferred by many academic researchers and the powerful bilingual teachers lobby — did little to improve the academic performance of non-English speakers during this period and instead sparked a culture war in many school districts. Two pivotal events helped turn the tide. In 1998, voters in California overwhelmingly approved Proposition 227, a ballot initiative that directed state school officials to provide intensive English instruction, in place of bilingual education, to non-English speakers. In 2001, the federal No Child Left Behind law required that states test all English-language learners annually to assess their English proficiency and include them in all state assessments in math, reading and English language arts. The legislation also required that after three consecutive years of enrollment, English-language learners must take reading and English language arts tests in English rather than in their native language as some states had previously allowed indefinitely. The result was a new nationwide emphasis on English acquisition. With this new emphasis on English — not preserving native language and culture as it had been in the heyday of bilingual education — immigrant children are finally making significant academic strides. Not surprisingly, now that much of their instruction is in English, they are learning English more quickly. They are also improving their performance in other subject areas. In Maryland, for example, 65 percent of English learners passed statewide reading tests in 2008, up from only 18 percent in 2003. In Virginia, 78 percent of English learners passed the state reading tests, up from 55 percent in 2003. In New York City, nearly 57 percent of English learners scored proficient in math in 2008, from less than 17 percent in 2003. English-language learners still face enormous challenges. Many of these children come from poor families and their parents often lack formal education. The economic crisis will encourage more of these students, who already have high dropout rates, to leave school to help provide financial help to their parents and siblings. But the trend toward earlier English acquisition is nonetheless an important harbinger of future economic success for second- and third-generation Americans. |
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