Reviewed by Mary McLaughlin, Ma-TESOL; M.S. SpEd
Defining Bilingual Education
Onlookers tend to have extreme reactions to the topic of bilingual education. However, different people understand bilingual education differently, and educators have a number of different methods for providing bilingual instruction.
In Sharon Cromwell’s “The Bilingual Education Debate,” she observes that schools incorporate a variety of approaches, among them:
- English Immersion: This setting mainstreams ESL students with native English speakers, while aiming to avoid the use of students’ primary languages.
- Transitional Bilingual Education: Like the English immersion model, this type of program focuses on English as the target language but also integrates a limited level of support and instruction in students’ native languages. The goal in transitional settings is that students gradually move to a mainstream or immersive English classroom.
- Developmental Bilingual Education: In this approach, also known as maintenance bilingual education, teachers work with students at their current levels in their native languages, while at the same time providing instruction in English so the students can ultimately achieve fluency in both languages.
Another model is Dual-Immersion Bilingual Education. In this model, while fluency in two languages (one typically being English in the United States) is still the goal, the difference lies in the classroom population. According to the California Department of Education’s guide to Two-Way Immersion, this model combines English language learners (ELLs) with native English speakers and sets the goal for each group to master the other group’s language.
The 40-Year Debate Over Bilingual Education
In “Bilingual Education in the United States: An Analysis of the Convergence of Policy, Theory and Research,” bilingual scholar Andrea Grooms observes that policy-makers, educators, and other stakeholders have debated about the existence, goals, and outcomes of bilingual education for four decades.
Grooms finds the principal arguments of bilingual education’s critics to be that it hinders students’ ability to speak, read, and write in English, and even worse, to assimilate culturally. Proponents of bilingual education, however, argue that it enriches educational experiences for both ELLs and native English speakers.
Quality vs. Quantity of English Language Instruction
A more nuanced discussion arising from the bilingual education debate concerns the speed of language acquisition for ELLs versus their potential for deep mastery of linguistic and cultural knowledge.
Proponents of various bilingual models point to the research and practices advocated by University of Southern California professor and language acquisition expert Stephen Krashen. Krashen views immersive English instruction without primary language support as ineffective. He argues that it is the quality of target language instruction, not the quantity, which determines a student’s language acquisition and fluency.
Krashen’s research finds that comprehensible input is essential for students in bilingual education programs. Most English immersion settings have too much academic and conversational language, placing them beyond the understanding of a beginning ELL.
Some critics of bilingual education point to programs in which students take a long time to learn English, or situations in which students seem to lag in both their native and target languages. Supporters say, however, that it is not the bilingual education model that is faulty, but rather the lack of systemic support for it. A successful bilingual education program must have quality resources and well-trained teachers who can model fluency in both home and target languages.
Current Bilingual Education Practices and Trends
Over the years that the bilingual education debate has continued, the model itself has undergone changes. Some bilingual programs have existed long enough to produce evidence-based outcomes. Based on these outcomes, the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) website has observed desirable qualities in bilingual education programs, among them:
- teaching ELLs English
- promoting success in core curricular areas
- acculturating newcomers
- acknowledging and integrating ELLs’ linguistic and cultural backgrounds into the instruction
In Libia Gil and Sarah Bardack’s paper, “Common Assumptions vs. the Evidence: English Language Learners in the United States,” the authors observe that many people, including educators, assume that good English-language instruction is enough for all students, regardless of their linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The authors cite evidence indicating the contrary: to experience success, ELLs require additional supports, differentiated instruction, targeted instruction in academic language, and teachers knowledgeable about second-language acquisition.
These observations echo the work of NABE, which has formulated a list of teaching practices in the country’s top bilingual education delivery models:
- targeted, individualized ESL instruction
- sheltered English instruction during core curricular classes
- quality instruction in students’ primary languages
- instruction in students’ first languages
Expert ESL and Bilingual Education Teaching Practices
In “Unlocking The Research on English Learners,” Claude Goldenberg reviews evidenced-based research regarding systems of delivery to ELLs, and he highlights bilingual and ESL instructional practices that have been found successful in United States classrooms. Among the paper’s recommendations are to:
- Provide ELD support in all subjects, as well as devoting a block of instructional time to it.
- Integrate frequent, strategically planned opportunities for interaction using English.
- Focus first on listening and speaking activities, then on reading and writing.
- Conduct direct teaching of the elements of the target language (English), including vocabulary, grammar, and syntax.
- Support English with students’ primary languages in a targeted way.
- Model and teach conversational as well as academic English.
- Deliver personalized and customized ELD support.
No matter which side of the debate educators find themselves on, the universal truth is that bilingual education can always improve. Proponents of bilingual education assert that access to improved materials in students’ primary languages as well as in English are key issues.
Top Schools That Certify Bilingual Educators
The best certification programs for bilingual education reflect the effective teaching strategies delineated above. If you are already a classroom teacher or hold valid certification, then you can enter a short-term program to earn a bilingual certificate or an endorsement on your current credential. If you hold a bachelor’s degree, you can enter a certification or master’s program in a university’s education department. If you opt for a master’s degree in an area of bilingual education, check current state requirements to ensure you meet the prerequisites for bilingual teacher certification. You will also need to pass fluency tests in English and the foreign language you wish to use in teaching.
According to The College Board’s guide to becoming a bilingual educator, several schools offer majors and certification programs in the field. It is preferable to attend a college in or near a city that contains linguistically diverse populations, as your course of study will include teaching internships or other fieldwork. Some options include:
- University of California, Los Angeles
- Boston University
- California State University at Long Beach
- City University of New York: Brooklyn College
- Loyola University Chicago
- Northeastern Illinois University
- SUNY College at Brockport
- Texas A&M International University
- University of Minnesota: Twin Cities
- University of Missouri: Kansas City
- University of the Southwest
Conclusion
Politicians and educators might take contentious stances on the topic of bilingual education, but the fact is that they share the same principal objective. In essence, participants in the controversy are speaking “different languages, [with the] same goal,” that of helping students achieve spoken and written proficiency in English.