Caldwell Elementary in Texas has just announced that it will implement a new program that teaches Kindergarten students both Spanish and English. Students will be taught in English one day, with the follow up lesson in Spanish. The program is only beginning with the Kindergarten level now but will expand to higher grades each year.
Most parents are supportive of the program, and parents are even pushing other schools to adopt the program. The area around Caldwell Elementary is bilingual, so this program will greatly help the students inside and outside the classroom. Students that receive the bilingual education will no doubt have an advantage over other students, so the school is becoming more competitive to attend.
The whole article can be found here.
McKinney Independent School District includes Caldwell Elementary and notes on its website that the bilingual program has many positive effects. Students perform better academically when they are proficient in two languages. The program makes sure that the children are learning in a supportive setting so that they will have confidence and greater success in life.
Click here for the McKinney website.
The public is beginning to realize how important bilingual education is and the extraordinary benefits of speaking more than one language. This program is a strong indicator of how people’s attitudes towards learning multiple languages are changing. Language education is now a beneficial and valuable asset to education and can greatly enhance students’ worldviews and cultural understanding. They will be exposed to diversity and come to appreciate the linguistic differences of the world.
The United States lags behind other countries in the number of bilingual and trilingual citizens. Instituting more bilingual education programs such as this one can change this unfortunate reality. Also, this type of program is a simple and effective way to make schools more competitive and improve education for students. Starting this program in more schools would only be a positive contribution to the education system.
really interesting. I was struck by the part where you stated that students who were bilingual performed better in school. Why do you think that's so?
ReplyDeleteIs there any criticism to these programs? Are there dissenters who are upset that these schools have become bilingual? Overall I hope that this trend continues because teaching kids another language earlier in life seems to affect proficiency later.
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