Effects of Dual-Language Immersion Programs on Student Achievement

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 282S-306S ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Steele ◽  
Robert O. Slater ◽  
Gema Zamarro ◽  
Trey Miller ◽  
Jennifer Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
English Learners ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
Reading Performance ◽  
Language Immersion ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
Dual Language Immersion ◽  
Immersion Programs ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Intent To Treat ◽  
Mathematics And Science

Using data from seven cohorts of language immersion lottery applicants in a large, urban school district, we estimate the causal effects of immersion programs on students’ test scores in reading, mathematics, and science and on English learners’ (EL) reclassification. We estimate positive intent-to-treat (ITT) effects on reading performance in fifth and eighth grades, ranging from 13% to 22% of a standard deviation, reflecting 7 to 9 months of learning. We find little benefit in terms of mathematics and science performance but also no detriment. By sixth and seventh grade, lottery winners’ probabilities of remaining classified as EL are 3 to 4 percentage points lower than those of their counterparts. This effect is stronger for ELs whose native language matches the partner language.

Keeping Up with the (Zh)oneses: Language Immersion and School Choice

2021 ◽  
pp. 001312452110273
Author(s):  
Edward Watson
Keyword(s):  
School Choice ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
Language Immersion ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Dual Language Immersion ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Immersion Programs ◽  
White Parents

Dual language immersion programs are growing in popularity across America. This article examines the explanations middle-class parents of various racial/ethnic backgrounds give for enrolling their children in Mandarin Immersion Programs. The author addresses the following questions: Why do American parents enroll their children in Mandarin Immersion Programs? How do parents from different racial groups frame the benefits of immersion? The analysis relies on a mixed-method approach using survey data ( N = 500) to highlight motivations of parents without an ethnic background related to the language, supplemented with 15 semi-structured interviews with Black and White parents of children enrolled in schools with Mandarin Immersion Programs. The study finds that parents frame the benefits of an educational investment differently by race. White parents take a pragmatic stance of greater future returns while Black parents hope immersion will help construct a stronger self-identity. These findings show the influence a burgeoning global society has on parental educational choices.

Translanguaging practices of students in science and math classes in a Chinese/English dual language bilingual program

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaochen Du
Keyword(s):  
Dual Language ◽  
Language Immersion ◽  
Bilingual Students ◽  
Bilingual Programs ◽  
Language Programs ◽  
Dual Language Immersion ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Immersion Programs ◽  
Science Classes ◽  
Dual Language Bilingual Education

Abstract This article is focused on the discussion of three 4th grade students’ translanguaging practices in math and science classes in a Mandarin/English one-way dual language immersion program. In the U.S., the number of dual language immersion programs is increasing. While research strongly supports the benefits of bilingual programs, implementation challenges caused by a “dual” perception seem to remain unsolved. This article presents data excerpts collected and analyzed from a multi-case study to describe and discuss students’ translanguaging practices and their benefits in content learning contexts. Findings reveal that bilingual students are engaged in highly flexible and dynamic language use for meaningful learning, which contradicts the monolingual ideology permeated in dual language programs. In addition, findings from this study contribute to the understanding of Chinese/English bilingual students’ translanguaging practice in their learning, which contributed to the research on students’ linguistic practice in dual-language bilingual education.

scholarly journals Racial integration through two-way dual language immersion: A case study

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Uzzell ◽  
Jennifer B. Ayscue
Keyword(s):  
English Learners ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
Language Model ◽  
School Enrollment ◽  
Language Immersion ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Dual Language Immersion ◽  
State And Local

Despite increasingly diverse public school enrollment, students across the U.S. are still segregated by race and poverty, and English learners (ELs) often experience triple segregation by race, poverty, and language. Two-way immersion (TWI) programs may create racially integrated learning environments, by offering a dual language model that balances native English speakers and speakers of the partner language. Through semi-structured interviews, observation, and document analysis, this qualitative case study examined how a Spanish TWI program facilitates integration in a rural elementary school. Findings show that students from different backgrounds may have equal status in mutually beneficial environments, can become bilingual and bicultural, and may experience lifelong benefits. Implications include the need for increased federal, state, and local funding to support districts using TWI to achieve integration as well as a federal language policy that promotes TWI.

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