Classes taught in both languages help students from various backgrounds, but many districts have fought to keep Spanish out of schools.
The USA TODAY Network is launching a series on the Latino community in the USA called Hecho en USA, or made in America. Roughly 80% of all Latinos living in the USA are American citizens, but media coverage of Hispanics tends to focus on immigration and crime, instead of how Latino families live, work and learn in their hometowns. Hecho en USA tells the stories of the nation’s 59.9 million Latinos – a growing economic and cultural force, many of whom are born in the USA.
Roughly 3.8 million students in U.S. schools are native Spanish-speakers who are not proficient in English. They make up the bulk of the approximately 5 million students nationwide identified as English language learners, the fastest-growing demographic in schools – and the lowest-performing, as judged by achievement tests and graduation rates.
Pressure is mounting in states where numbers of Latino English learners have surged. Mississippi, South Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas and Maryland have seen the number of English learners more than double from 2005 to 2015, according to federal data. Some schools use transitional bilingual programs, which teach academics such as science, math and social studies in Spanish for a few years before transitioning students to mainstream classes.
“But the research is really clear on what works,” she says. “Students learning English benefit from high-quality, long-term bilingual instruction programs.” Oyster’s program was created to serve the Latino population, but gentrification over the past 40 years drove low-income families from the neighborhood, says Vanessa Bertelli, co-founder of a grassroots organization that advocates for more dual-language programs.
“The idea was time on task: put ’em in there, and they’ll learn English by osmosis,” Coady says. “Sometimes that works for very young kids. But for a 10th grader coming into high school only speaking Mandarin who needs to graduate in three years? There’s no way that child has equitable access.” Ramirez, the Gates Early Learning preschool teacher, was a student in East Los Angeles during the ban in California. She was taught in Spanish and English through second grade before Proposition 227 went into effect when she was about 8. After that, she struggled.
“Our English language learner population was performing worse on tests than our special education population,” says Republican state Sen. Paul Boyer, a part-time teacher who supported efforts to change the law to help students learning English. Vineland’s bilingual program has been bolstered by JoAnne Negrin, supervisor of bilingual education. Since she was hired seven years ago, she made sure that all new textbook purchases were available in both Spanish and English, so students in the bilingual program could learn at the same pace as their English-speaking peers.
“People sometimes question, ‘How are students going to learn English if they spend the whole day learning in Spanish?’ ” Negrin says. “Well, our data shows that proficiency in literacy in the child’s first language is a very good indicator of how well that child is going to eventually learn English.”
Bilingual teachers in short supply, high demandAnother major barrier to starting or expanding dual-language programs is the critical shortage nationwide of teachers who can speak and teach in Spanish and English. The Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District serves a nearly all-Latino population of 32,000 students. The district has long supported a dual-language, Spanish-English program in all its elementary schools, which has helped close the gap in the early grades for those who are learning English. Students can choose to continue in the bilingual program in high school.
The university can’t expand fast enough, she says. Would-be bilingual teachers often face challenges such as the cost of their education and the tests they have to take to become certified in bilingual education.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The Jennifer Lopez and Shakira halftime show marks new era of Latino representation on the NFL's global stagePR move or not, the NFL is taking its Latino fanbase seriously.
Read more »
In a nod to Spanish-speaking Latino voters, Iowa caucus will feature bilingual sites'It’s like my voice is being heard through this caucus,' said a young woman planning to participate. One group expects one of every four caucus goers to be Latino.
Read more »
Panic buying of face masks is unwarranted and could pose risks for health care workers, experts say'Panic purchases of face masks in low-risk countries like the U.S. is not warranted,' said Annelies Wilder-Smith, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Read more »
Panic buying of face masks is unwarranted and could pose risks for health workers, experts say“Panic purchases of face masks in low-risk countries like the U.S. is not warranted. People who are well should refrain from hoarding masks ‘just in case’ they need it, as this may lead to a lack of masks in settings that really need it,” one expert says.
Read more »