Bilingual Education: What Is The Best Program to Help English Language Learners Students Be Proficient in Both of their Languages

(English-Spanish)?
By Fabiola Rodriguez ED 492 Fall 2012

Table of Contents
Cover Page Table of Contents Abstract Introduction Methods Findings 1. Importance of Bilingual Education 2. Three Bilingual Programs 3. Misconceptions and Challenges Conclusion Appendix I Appendix II Bibliography 24 26 27 28 1 2 3 4 5 10

Abstract
The majority of incoming immigrants to the United States come from Hispanic countries. Many of the incoming immigrants bring their children, so they can provide them with a better future. These children arrive to this country with little or no knowledge of the English Language. Therefore, it is highly important to provide them with the best education possible to ensure their academic success and transition to the American culture while conserving their Hispanic roots. One of the best ways to help English Language Learners succeed academically while maintaining their native culture is to provide them with an effective bilingual program. I want to be a bilingual teacher to help English Language Learners be part of the American culture while conserving and honoring their native language. So, I wonder: What is the best bilingual education instructional program in Milwaukee to help English Language Learners from Hispanic descend be successful in their second language, and at the same time be proficient in their main language? In order to answer this question, I read a couple of scholarly articles, and two books. I conducted two interviews and observed two different bilingual models. After investigating my research question through reading, observing and interviewing people, I decided to divide my research into three major findings: importance of bilingual education, three bilingual models in Milwaukee, and misconceptions and challenges of bilingual education. In the concluding part of my research I state the reasons why I

would like to be part of either a two way bilingual model or a developmental bilingual program. My findings have leaded me to reinforce my philosophy of becoming a bilingual teacher in the future.

Introduction
I was born in Los Angeles, California in 1988. When I was six months old, my parents decided to raise me in Mexico. I learned how to speak, read, and write in Spanish. I had a great plan at the age of 16. I was going to graduate High School and then study to be a veterinarian. It never occurred to me that I would have to come to the U. S., learn a new language and changed my life plan. Now, I want to help English Language Learners be part of the American culture while preserving their culture just like some teachers helped me. My research is aimed to help me decide the program I want to be part of once I have all the necessary licenses to teach in a bilingual classroom. I have concentrated my research to find the best bilingual program for English Language Learners because they are in the same position I was a couple of years ago. They are the students who need more help to make the transition to a new culture, while saving their native culture close to their hearts. Before I go any further, I want to define who English Language Learners (ELL) are. According to Adelman Reyes & Crawford, ELL students are those who are from minority language communities in the United States who are still in the process of acquiring proficiency in the majority language. They are also known as emergent bilinguals, and before that

they were called limited English-proficient (2012). Throughout my paper, I use ELLs or ELL students on references to students who are learning English, and who are from Hispanic descend.

Methods
The main reason why I decided to investigate about bilingual education programs is because in a near future I want to work in a bilingual classroom. I am glad I have had this opportunity to learn more about different bilingual since Alverno does not offer any courses on that subject. I highly value bilingual education; I consider it to be an asset as a professional: being bilingual can help someone open their horizons not only in the work place, but culturally too. I want to be able to help students to be literate in the English language in order to be part of the U. S. culture, as well as to be proficient in their native language in order to preserve their culture. I still do not have a specific grade level that I would like to teach; therefore I decided to be open to interview parents and teachers with children in grades 1-6 of Hispanic descent, as well as to observe any of those grades. I designed my research question with the help of a handout given to us in the beginning of the semester by our professor Kathy Lake. After tweaking my question a couple of times, I came up with the following: What is the best bilingual education instructional program in Milwaukee to help English Language Learners from Hispanic descend be successful in their second language, and at the same time be proficient in their main language?

In order to try to answer my research question I read two books, one printed and one in my Kindle, and four scholarly journal articles. I also looked at Urban School 1s website as well as MPSs website for information on different bilingual programs offer in the city of Milwaukee. I conducted four interviews and two classroom observations. The time frame for my research was from the second week of September through the third week of November. In my conclusion, I decide which program I think is better for English learners, as well as the program I would like to be part of.

Interviews and Observations (October 24-November 2) After reading some articles about bilingual education, I designed my interview questions for parents and teachers based the major findings and other important facts that interest me as a future educator. The type of questions I created varies between opinion, values, knowledge and demographics. Most of my interview questions are opinion and knowledge based. In each of my observations, I took notes on environment (posters, sitting arrangement, etc), and time periods (math, science, shared writing, etc). I interviewed two teachers and two parents with children in different bilingual schools. Mrs. OC was my first interviewee. She was my sister and brothers eight grade teacher in this urban school (Urban School 1). Currently, she is a sixth grade teacher. I contacted her two weeks before our interview via email. I interviewed her on October 24, 2012. We talked mainly in Spanish before and during our interview. The school is located in the south side of Milwaukee with a mostly Hispanic population. According to the MPS website, the school offers bilingual/ESL, all day k4, Special Education

and SAGE from kindergarten to eight grade. I recorded the interview on my phone. The next day, at eight in the morning, I arrived to Urban School 1 to observe Mrs. OC for half a day. She taught math, Spanish, and science during this time. I recorded my observations on a Microsoft Word document. Once at home, I did a summary of the important information from the interview. My second interview and observation took place at Urban School 2. I came to know about this school by looking at the MPS website page of bilingual schools. Urban School 2 is listed in the website as a two-way bilingual program. I tried to find the schools website, but there was not one. Luckily, I found a Facebook page dedicated to the school and run by the schools PTA. I sent a message explaining my project and asking if they would help me with my senior project. Two days later, I received messages from three Urban School 2 teachers. Two of the teachers were kindergarten, so I politely declined their help since my teaching license will not cover kindergarten. The other teacher that offered to help me was a first grade teacher. Mrs. CR and I exchanged a couple of emails before agreeing on meeting on Friday, November 2. I arrived to Urban School 2 right before classes started. I observed almost the entire school day. I recorded the observations on a Microsoft Word document as well. Half an hour before the students were dismissed, during the students free time, Mrs. CR and I sat down and talked about bilingual education. Just as I did with Mrs. OC, I recorded our conversation using my phone and we talked mostly in Spanish. Just like I did with Mrs. OC interview, I wrote the main points in a summary.

For the other two interviews, I asked two family members to answer some questions related to their childrens education. Both interviewees were mothers of children between the ages of 2 and 14 who speak mostly Spanish. Mother 1 has 2 children in a Community School. Mother 2 has both of her boys at Urban School 1 (where I conducted one observation and an interview). I interviewed both mothers during a family gathering that took place on October 27. I only took notes, since it was too noisy to record in my phone.

Literature Review (September to November) I started my literary review as soon as professor Kathy Lake gave me an article about bilingual education on September 11. On that day, I created a list of researchable keywords and found and printed an article called The Astounding Effectiveness of Dual Language Education for All by Virginia P. Collier and Wayne P. Thomas. I found the book named The Foundations of Dual Language Instruction by Lessow-Hurley and two other articles the day ED 492 meet in the library for a useful presentation by a librarian. I found the last article at the using Alvernos library website at home. As I was looking for books for a different class, I decided to look for books related to bilingual education in my kindle; this is how I came to find the book Diary of a Bilingual School by Adelman Reyes and Crawford. First of all, I wanted to stress the importance of bilingual education since it was an important element in each of my resources. Then, I decided to concentrate in only two bilingual programs only. The main reason I chose to focus on two models is because I observed both models, and talked to teachers who are part of those programs. In each of the

programs, I concentrate in how they would help English learners be proficient in both languages. Two other recursive themes in my readings are the importance of bilingual education and the misconception it has in this country. In order to keep my major findings organized, I divided a regular notebook, using post it notes, into the following major findings: 1. Importance of Bilingual Education 2. Three Bilingual Programs a. Two way Dual Language b. One way Dual Language (Developmental, Maintenance) c. Assimilation 3. Bilingual Education Misconceptions Each time I found information related to each of the findings in my readings, interviews and observations, I would write down a quotation or paraphrase the information, and include the name of the source, the author, and page number. The only drawback from this method is that it was time consuming, since I had to be constantly writing in my notebook. In the other hand, it was very helpful to keep my citations organized and ready to be transfer to a Microsoft document. In the following section, I present my three main findings. The first and last finding is a narrative combining what I learned about my interviews, observations, and literary review. I also used my interviews, observations, and literary review in my second finding, but I decided to use a table to better display the different bilingual programs in the city of Milwaukee.

Findings
Immigration has been a hot topic for a long time in the U. S., probably since the English arrived to this territory. Nowadays, the majority of immigrants come from Hispanic countries. Many of those immigrants bring their whole families to provide them with a brighter future. The future of immigrant children depends on their education, so I wonder what is the best bilingual education instructional program in Milwaukee to help English Language Learners (ELL) from Hispanic countries be successful in their second language (English), and at the same time be proficient in their main language? Is it important for those students to be bilingual? Or should they just come in the school system and eradicate their native language and immerse them completely into the English language? Are the misconceptions about teaching ELL in a bilingual setting true? I start my findings section with the importance of Bilingual Education for English Language Learners. Then, I explained the different bilingual programs in Milwaukee and how they affect ELL. Lastly, I expose the Bilingual Education misconceptions and how they affect ELL students. These findings will help me answer the questions above.

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I.

Importance of Bilingual Education

Immigration to the United States from countries south of the boarder has been increasing in the last couple of years

(Honigsfeld, 2009). The majority of the incoming children do not have any English background, so when they come to an American school for the first time, they have only have contact with their native language. These students need to learn English in order to be part of the American culture. The best option for children who are new in the U. S. is to be part of a bilingual program. In my interviews, observations, and literary review, I have found three main reasons why bilingual education is important for English Language Learners (ELLs). 1. Native Culture Maintenance According to Parent 1 from my interviews, she thinks bilingual education is important because she does not want her kids to loose their culture and identity. Parent 2 considers bilingual education as a bridge for our children that connects them with their Hispanic roots. The right bilingual program in combination with a great teacher can help the desire of Parent 1 and 2: to maintain and enrich the culture of the students ancestors. Mrs. OC said in our conversation

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that Spanish has a great literary history and tradition; it has a great cultural background and it is a beautiful language. ELL students need to preserve and appreciate their Hispanic culture, so they can be proud of where they have come from and in a future transmit this love to future generations.

2. Help Students Transition to New Culture As I have mentioned before, many students come to the United States without speaking a word in English. These students need help so they can accommodate to be participants in the American culture. K12 education is mandatory for all children in the U. S., so all immigrant children have the right to go to a K12 American school even if they do not have legal documents. ELL students need bilingual education to make the transition. They need to understand and speak English to communicate with other people who do not speak Spanish, in other words, they need to function in society. Bilingual programs are extremely important for all English Language Learners. These programs help students learn the language that will help them get a job in this country. This last statement is true to Mrs. OC, she says that the native language is an asset for a job, a useful artifact, but it might not make a enormous difference in the workplace, but she is sure that her responsibility as a bilingual teacher is to help these kids (bilingual students) to have the literary and academic English they need to be successful in life. 3. Metalinguistic and Metacognitive Benefits

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According to Brisk and Proctor (2012), students who are bilingual in English and Spanish are more likely to get metalinguistic and metacognitive benefits. So, what does this mean? This means that students are able to think about their thinking and about the use of their languages. Metalinguistic and metacognitive thinking means that students are constantly examining and monitoring their own brains processing (Fountas & Pinnel, 2001).

II.

Bilingual Programs in the City of Milwaukee

There are three main bilingual programs in the city of Milwaukee that help ELL students learn English. I have observed two of these programs: the two way model and the developmental bilingual model. I have not experienced the third one in any way, but it was important for me to show a contrast of the first two models since the main goal of the third model is completely different. I used my observations on Urban School 2 in the column of Two Way Bilingual Model, and my observations on Urban School 1 in the column of Bilingual Maintenance Model. In all three columns, I used information from the articles and books that I read for my research.

Two Way Bilingual Model

Bilingual Maintenance or Developmental Bilingual or One Way Model

Assimilation (transitional) Model

According to Collier and

This program aims to preserve the

The acquisition of English as

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Description

Thomas, this program is the only program for English learners that fully closes the gap between their native language and their second language (2004).

English Learners first language while learning a second one. All students are from the same linguistic background. (Honigsfeld, 2009). Some students are proficient in English, and some are just starting to learn it as a second language. This program brings both populations together to teach each other the curriculum (Collier & Thomas, 2004) The goals of this program are to help all students, including English Language Learners, to be proficient bilinguals and have grade level or better academic performance (Adelman Reyes & Crawford, 2012). Students have to spend approximately eight years in the program to fully close the gap in the second language. (Collier & Thomas, 2004).

soon as possible is the main goal of this program. The native language is use only to the extent necessary until they can be reassigned to mainstream, all English classrooms. (Adelman Reyes & Crawford, 2012). This model says that ELLs are language deficient because they are not native English speakers (Lpez et al, 2009).

The expectation is that ELL

students move to a only English classroom in 3 years (Collier & Thomas, 2004).

What does it look like?

Native English Speakers, bilingual students and ELL are integrated in the classroom (Collier & Thomas, 2004). In Urban School 2, there were White, African American and Hispanic students in the classroom.

An example of this type of school is the Urban School 1, where I interviewed Mrs. OC and observed her classroom. In Mrs. OCs classroom, all students are from Hispanic background. According to the teacher, most of the families speak Spanish at home, just like the two parents I

Students are pulled out of the classroom for certain time during the day to learn English (Collier & Thomas, 2004). The method described above is a pull out method. There is a push in method, where the teacher offers English support in the mainstream classroom

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 No translations, no repeated lessons: separation of the two languages is important in this model (Collier & Thomas, 2004). Mrs. CR did not speak a work in English while I was doing my observations in her classroom. She is very expressive when talking to all the students, especially with native English speakers. She usually wears a tag on her chest that says either Spanish or English to remind students what language is being used in the classroom. Also, when students try to talk to her in English, she tells them that they are only using Spanish that day. They have access to literature in English and in Spanish. The teacher in Urban School 2 had the students pick books in both languages to put in their book bins. Students read these books during independent reading. When students share their work, they do it in the language they are working on that week. All students read, write, and communicate in the language they are using that week.

interviewed. Separation of languages during instruction (Collier & Thomas, 2004). Mrs. OC dedicates two weeks in each language to teach literacy. The day I observed her classroom, they were working on Spanish. The students and the teacher read a poem aloud, and started to identify the literary elements on the poem. Students have their literature books in Spanish and in English. Mrs. OC showed me their Spanish Literature book. It has more English authors work translated in English than authentic Hispanic literature.

(Honigsfeld, 2009). According to Lpez Estrada, et al., in this type of program teachers teach everything in English by using sheltered instruction (2009).

The more proficient ELL students are in English, the less

time they spend with an English as a Second Language specialist (Honigsfeld, 2009).

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 There are posters in English and Spanish around the room.

Pros Help students fully reach the

50 percentile (scoring above 50 percent of the other test takers) in both languages, in all content areas. They also keep their level of achievement and are less likely to be drop outs (Honigsfeld, 2009). Testing is in the primary language (Collier & Thomas, 2004). This is a great advantage because students from both backgrounds can demonstrate their mastery of the content in the language they know better. ELLs are learning from native English speakers and vice versa. There is a community of learners in the classroom. Students from each language group learn to respect their fellow students as valued partners in the learning process with much knowledge to teach each other (Collier & Thomas, 2004). There is less discrimination against ELLs because they form part of a community of learners
th

Help students fully reach the 50th

percentile (scoring above 50 percent of the other test takers) in both languages, in all content areas. They also keep their level of achievement and are less likely to be drop outs (Honigsfeld, 2009). Students with different levels on both languages are learning from each other. There is a community of learners established in the classroom.

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(Collier & Thomas, 2004). ELL students learn about American culture by having contact with native English speakers.

Cons
There are not a lot of true bilingual teachers. Some teachers know more Spanish than English and vice versa. Sometimes there are not enough native English speakers enrolled in the classroom (50 %). There are not a lot of true bilingual teachers. Some teachers know more Spanish than English and vice versa. Instruction is watered down, in other words the curriculum is translated in a simpler form. This practice will cause ELLs to dont learn to read or learn academic content at grade level (Lpez, et al., 2009). This program does not help students be proficient in any of both languages (Lpez et al., 2009). They are isolated from the curricular mainstream for many years, which makes it more difficult for English Language Learners to catch up with their peers (Collier & Thomas, 2004). There are more dropouts because students feel they cannot succeed academically (Lpez, et al, 2009).

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 They do not receive any education about their native culture. This program is aimed to subtract their native language (Collier & Thomas, 2004).

In my conclusion, I explain the reasoning behind my decision of which bilingual model I would like to be part of in a near future. I clarify which program I think is the best to teach ELLs. Before that, here are the misconceptions and challenges of bilingual education related to English Language Learners.

III.

Bilingual Education Misconceptions and Challenges

Every single educational program will always have its misconceptions and challenges. Bilingual Education is not the exception. There are misconceptions around Bilingual Education mainly because people are not completely informed about the reality and benefits of Bilingual Education to English Language Learners. It is important to notice that all challenges have a solution, which I include in each challenge statement.

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Misconceptions:
Below are some of the misconceptions attached to bilingual programs. Many of these misconceptions are created by people who are misinformed about how the different bilingual programs work and the great benefit they have to English Language Learners. 1. It takes too much time Bilingual education will not give overnight results. People cannot expect ELL students to be proficient in English, and a part of the society in a couple of days, or weeks. According to Lessow-Hurley, it takes time to develop proficiency in a language and particularly to reach a level of competence adequate to the demands of schooling. It is sad to see that many good programs, such as bilingual programs, do not receive a lot of support from people or are shut down to soon. They do not understand that it takes time to demonstrate growth (2005). When bilingual programs do not show the test scores desired by the government, they are often considered useless. This problem affects ELLs because when good bilingual programs are not being supported, ELLs do not have the opportunity to benefit from these programs.

2. Language learning is difficult and frustrating: Lessow-Hurley says that a lot of people think language learning is difficult because of their previous experiences. These people are more likely to have gotten a grammar-based instruction, which is not as effective as bilingual

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education. Also, they are most likely to have studied a second language during High School, where they took it for four years and did not used it as much (2005). Language learning for ELLs is important because it will help them be successful in the American culture. Language learning should not be difficult and frustrating for English Language Learners if they are in the right bilingual program. 3. Bilingual Programs hinder students ability to learn curriculum by cradling them in their native languages too long (Education Commission of the States, 2012) Accoring to Lpez, et al. (2012), ELLs should learn how to read and write in their native language since they have developed BICS (basic interpersonal communication skills) in that language. This means that is important to teach students the basics of literacy in their most dominant language for the students first couple of years of literacy formation. Besides, the knowledge and skills students learn in one language are transferable to the new language. An example is reading. Students only need to learn how to read once; then, this skill can be applied to each new language they acquire. (Adelman & Crawford, 2012).

4. Many people have succeeded without it: In the article, Why Bilingual Education? ERIC Digest, there is an example of a person who has been successful without being in a bilingual program and he has a high level of English proficiency. He is a special case because he had two key advantages that the majority of ELL students do not have. The first advantage is that he grew up in a

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neighborhood where English was the only spoken language, while the majority of students who come from Hispanic countries live in Hispanic neighborhoods, where Spanish is highly present. His second advantage is that he was an excellent reader. This helped him to get the necessary academic language (1997). In the other hand, ELL students do not have the same access to books. Also, English Language Learners do not have the necessary help at home to be successful at school. According to Mrs. OC, the students parents dont speak English, so they cannot help them with homework. The person in the article I mention before has been very fortunate to thrive without the help of a bilingual program, but the majority of English Language Learners in the city of Milwaukee do not have the same luck.

Challenges:
There are many challenges when teaching English Language Learners who are in a bilingual program. But, is there something educators and administrators can do to help these students be successful in school? Below are two of the main challenges of bilingual education for ELLs, and also the possible solutions to these problems.

1.

It is difficult to assess bilingual English Language Learners:

Assessment is a big part of determining the students progress and what can be done to help them achieve their maximum potential. According to Brisk and Proctor (2012), language and culture have an impact on how bilingual

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ELL students need to be assessed. If these two issues are not considered while creating assessment, then the students abilities will be underestimated. One example of how language and culture affect the results of ELLs assessments is the following. Students come from different Latin American countries, in consequence they have different words for the same concept. There are some variations of language within the Hispanic countries, which adds to the difficulty to assess students. Also, if the test is in standard Spanish, it will be still difficult for the students because of the different Spanish variations (Lessow-Hurley, 2005). As educators, we need to make our assessment authentic so we can see the progress of each student and to create assessments that will tell us exactly where our students are and what we can do to help them get to the next level. Lessow-Hurley states that teachers need to use a variety of assessment techniques that distinguish between students language abilities and growth and their mastery of subject matter. One of her examples is students portfolios in their native language with a lot of growth evidence (videos, photos, test results) as a great tool to assess bilingual students (2005).

2.

Curriculum and materials development is hard According to Brisk and Proctor (2012), bilingual education programs need to follow the following criteria: a. Promote analysis of text and use of evidence b. Support informational and argumentative writing c. Encourage engagement in academic discussions

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d. Coverage of grammar and language conventions (in both languages), and e. Use of multimedia and technology. Mrs. OC told me that the books they are instructed to use to teach Spanish literature are made by people who have acquired Spanish later in life, in other words, they do not speak Spanish at home or Spanish is not their native language. This is a problem for Mrs. OC because the books they use do not offer the richness of the Hispanic culture. They have to read American authors translated in Spanish. All bilingual students, including ELLs, need access to authentic literature in both languages. It might be more difficult to develop materials in Spanish, but if authentic Spanish materials are offered, students might develop a better understanding of the Hispanic culture and will be able to get a better academic Spanish.

Every educational program in any country is going to have misconceptions and challenges. If the benefits of some bilingual programs surpass their misconceptions and address their challenges, it means the programs work. It is important to understand that even if there are misconceptions and challenges in the road to help students be better in both languages, we need to find a way to address those obstacles. At the end, we will have better prepared students, who will be proficient in both languages.

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Conclusion
After investigating about the importance, misconceptions and challenges of bilingual education for ELLs, I realized that the perfect program to help ELLs be proficient in both languages does not exist. Bilingual Education is not perfect, but I believe the positives of its goals surpass the negatives. The challenges and misconceptions can disappear if we all put an effort to learn more about bilingual education and how it can benefit the entire population, especially English Language Learners. Thanks to this research I learned about three bilingual programs offered in the city of Milwaukee. I incline more towards being a teacher in a Two Way Bilingual Program. The second model, Developmental, is a great program as well, and I would not have any problems teaching in a bilingual maintenance classroom. The third model, Assimilation, is not as appealing as the other two; the idea of isolating students, watering down curriculum, and losing their identity makes me sad. The reasons why I support the philosophy of the Two Way Bilingual model related to ELLs are the following: Native English Speakers, English Language Learners, and bilingual students learn from each other. English Language learners in this program can see that they can learn another language without forgetting their native language by interacting with already bilingual students. English Language Learners can learn from Native English Speakers how to be

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part of the American culture. I believe this program creates a strong community of learners that will grow tolerant to the cultural differences of other people. English Language Learners do not feel alone in the process of learning a new language since Native English Speakers are also learning a new language. When I observed a Two Way Bilingual classroom, there was a risk free environment. All students were participating in the activities of the day whether they were proficient in the language in turn or not. English Language Learners definitely benefit from a risk free environment. They are going to have more confidence in their abilities and grow as learners.

This program nurtures the ELL students need to preserve their proficiency in their native language while learning a
second one. Both languages are used equally in the classroom. ELLs will be able to function in the American society if they stay for the rest of their life, or/and will be able to be capable to succeed in their country of origin if they decide to go back. I like the Developmental Bilingual model because English Language Learners are more in contact with their Hispanic roots, since the majority of students come from Latin American countries. The downside of this for ELLs is that they might use more Spanish in the classroom and not learn English as fast as in a Two Way Model. I consider I will be a great fit on either program, the Two Way or Developmental. I feel capable to teach in English and in Spanish. I think I will be a great asset to any bilingual program I decide to be part of. Besides, both programs help ELL students improve their English while maintaining proficiency in their native language. I will not only have graduated from a great school,

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but will have the experience of being an English Language Learner in a bilingual program that came from Mexico with little knowledge of the English Language.

Appendix I Interview Questions For teachers

1. In your opinion, what is the importance of bilingual education? 2. What is your philosophy of bilingual education? What kind of program is practiced at your school? How does it work? 3. What subjects are taught in English? What in Spanish? 4. Do you think the program is working? Why do you think so? 5. What changes would you make if you could? 6. Do you know about the process of how the school decides who can be part of the bilingual program? 7. Do you have anything negative to say about bilingual education? Any complaints? 26

8. Do you think the U. S. values bilingual education as much as other developed countries? 9. Have you taught in a different bilingual program?

Appendix II Interview Questions For Parents

1. What school do(es) your child(ren) attend? What grades? 2. What do you know about the bilingual program of your kids? 3. Why did you choose a school with a bilingual program? 4. In your opinion, why is bilingual education important? 5. Why do you think it is important for your child(ren) to attend a bilingual school? 6. Have you heard anything negative about bilingual programs? If you have, what have you heard?

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7. Are you content with the bilingual program of the school? Why? 8. Do you plan to keep you child(ren) in a bilingual program all the way through high school? 9. What language is spoken mostly at home?

Bibliography
Adelman Reyes, S. & Crawford, J. (2012). Diary of a bilingual school. Kindle book. Collier, V. P. & Thomas, W. P. (2004). The astounding effectiveness of dual language education for all. NABE Journal of Research and Practice, 2(1), 1-20 Education Commission of the States. (2012). Bilingual /ESL. Education Commission of the States website. Retrieved from http://www.ecs.org/html/issue.asp?issueid=16 Fountas, C. I. and Pinell, G. S. (2001). Teaching for comprehending written text: Across the language and literacy framework. Guiding Readers and Writers. Heinemann. Portsmouth, NH. 322-357 Urban School 2. (2012). Retrieved from: http://www2.milwaukee. k12.wi.us/greenfield/english/ Honigsfeld, A. (2009). ELL programs: Not one size fits all. Kappa Delta PI Record. 166171. Retrieved from: http://gm.kdp.org/publications/pdf/record/summer09/ record_Sm09_Honigsfeld.pdf Lessow-Hurley, J. (2005). The foundations of dual language instruction. Boston: Pearson.

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Lopez Estrada, V., Gomez, L. & Ruiz-Escalante, J. A. (2009). Lets make dual language the norm. Supporting English Language Learners. 66(7) 54-58 MPS. (2012).Bilingual schools. Retrieved from: http://www.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/portal/ server.pt/comm/schools/315/bilingual_education/38622 Brisk, M. E., & Proctor, C. P. (2012). Challenges and supports for English language learners in bilingual programs. Understanding Language: Language, Literacy and Learning in the Content Areas. Stanford University. Retrieved from http://ell.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/academic-papers/11-Brisk%20Bilingual %20Programs%20FINAL_0.pdf Stephen, K. (1997). Why bilingual education? ERIC digest. ERIC Digest Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools Charleston WV. 1-7. Retrieved from http://www.usc.edu/dept/education/CMMR/FullText/WhyBilingualEdKrashen.pdf

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