Language Immersion
Federal
How to Teach Kids English: Immersion vs. Bilingual Programs
Republicans have not responded to repeated requests for clarification on their endorsement of an "English First" policy as part of the official GOP platform.
Education
Pitch for English as the National Language Includes Pitch for English Immersion
In a commentary arguing that the United States should establish English as the national language, a couple of writers from the Heritage Foundation also claim that English immersion is more effective in schools than bilingual education. The commentary was posted today on the Tucson Citizen Web site.
Education
Arizona Spells Out "Research-Based" Models for English Immersion
Arizona policymakers are using a buzz phrase popular in education circles in saying the models for structured English immersion that school districts must implement this fall are "research-based." But a document released by the Arizona Department of Education citing research to back those models shows that, for some aspects of the models, the research base is scant. The document acknowledges that high-quality research in general about instruction for English-language learners is limited.
Curriculum
Immersion School Helping Others Teach Chinese
With the increasing recognition of China’s role in the global economy and international politics, the demand for Chinese-language education has grown. But such offerings are still rare in public schools in this country.
Federal
Two-Way Language Immersion Grows in Popularity
Promising results from research on two-way language-immersion programs have pumped up the popularity of such programs in recent years.
Curriculum
Elementary Youngsters Immersed in Russian Classes in Alaska School
Russian is the sixth- or seventh-most-popular language taught in K-12 schools, foreign-language advocates say, with most of the courses being offered at the secondary level.
English Learners
Explainer
English-Language Learners
In this explainer article, Education Week takes a look at bilingual education in U.S. schools.
Education
Riley Endorses 'Dual Immersion' Programs
In his first comprehensive address on Hispanic education during his seven years in office, Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley last week promoted a bilingual teaching strategy intended to help students learn two languages at the same time.
Education
Multitude of Approaches Typify 'Two-Way' Immersion Method
"Two-way" bilingual programs vary from district to district, school to school, and class to class.
In a 1st-grade class at the James F. Oyster Bilingual Elementary School in Washington, one teacher helps children build letters and sounds into words in English while another leads a similar lesson in Spanish. The groups, separated by a divider, switch teachers after 45 minutes.
Education
English-Immersion Students Perform Well in Study
Spanish-speaking students taught primarily in English are outperforming those taught mainly in Spanish, without sacrificing their native-language skills, initial results of a pilot project in Texas indicate.
English Learners
Language-Acquisition Theory Revolutionizing Instruction
Virtually every American who has studied a foreign language in school, and later tried to use it, knows the difficulty of becoming bilingual.
English Learners
A Glossary of Bilingual-Education Terms
An excess of oversimplified and often misleading program labels complicates the debate over the effectiveness of bilingual education.
English Learners
Debate Over Effectiveness Has Shaped Federal Policy
Does bilingual education work? That "simplistic question ignores the complexity'' argues a new report by the ASCD.
