Schools

[splent]

 I live in a district that has open enrollment, meaning that if I want my child to go to another school in the district that offers specialized instruction of some sort, we can apply to go to that school, and if selected she could if we so wish.  We are looking at two schools. One of them is a dual language school, the second language that she would be learning would be Japanese.   Half of her day would be taught in English, and the other half would be taught in Japanese. They also offer an early instrumental music program, meaning that she could start learning the violin in kindergarten instead of fourth or fifth grade like the rest of the district.  The other school is a Montessori like school, based on a multiple intelligences model. She would be in a classroom mixed with first-graders, and they would be doing stuff together. I'm not exactly sure how it works yet, because we are going to be visiting the school in a couple weeks.

 Does anyone have kids who have gone to schools offering either of these programs, or has had kids go through these types of programs? If so, what are your thoughts on  it, what were some of the positive things you got out of it, where there any concerns that you had throughout the school year, etc.

[ASacrificedSon]

1. BILINGUALISM FOR ALL: In contrast to the remedial bilingual education model, which aims to bring ELLs up to speed in English so they can be mainstreamed, dual language immersion is an enrichment model that challenges all students to become fluent in two languages. Classes are often taught by two teachers who each speak exclusively in one language. There is no translation or repeated lessons. Native English speakers and ELLs learn a second language together with no stigma attached.

2. CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP: The recent move away from traditional bilingual education toward English language immersion was meant to help ELLs catch up with English speaking peers. Instead, standardized test scores from 2003 to 2010 show a widening achievement gap. Numerous studies demonstrate that ELLs become more fluent in English when they learn to read in their primary language.

In 2004, Virginia P. Collier and Wayne P. Thomas from George Mason University published an 18-year longitudinal study of dual language programs in 23 school districts and 15 states. They found that dual language immersion fully closes the achievement gap between ELLs and native speakers of English.

3. POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE: Collier and Thomas discovered that the effectiveness of dual language education extends beyond academic outcomes. The entire school community benefits when multiple languages and cultural heritages are validated and respected. Friendships bridge class and language barriers. Teachers report higher levels of job satisfaction. Parents from both language groups participate more actively in schools.

4. BRAIN BENEFITS: Cognitive neuroscientist Ellen Bialystok has studied bilingualism for almost 40 years. She recently told the New York Times that people who regularly use two languages tend to perform better on executive function tasks and maintain better cognitive functioning with age. Bilingualism is also associated with a five to six year delay in the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms after diagnosis.

5. HAPPY KIDS: Six-year-old Kyra is a first grader who loves her dual language Spanish-English program. "It's really fun because your brain gets to work with two different languages, and your tongue gets to do two different sounds,” she told the L.A. Times.

"This is an amazing program and people should consider putting their children in it," said sixth grader Isaiah Coyotl, the son of Mexican immigrants. "It could help a lot of boys and girls get better jobs, speak two languages and help people in need."
Hey there Splent! If you read this, I hope it helped. My sister is enrolled in a dual language school and she came out even stronger! I would go for it because my sister seems way more relaxed. She's also landed a lot of job opportunities with that extra language! Don't hesitate.