"Does Bilingual Education Really Work?"

Donna Garner
Education Policy Advisor EducationNews.org

I know how busy everyone is at this time of year, but I do not want you to miss the fabulous report done by Dr. Christine Rossell for Texas Public Policy Foundation.

Her research report is entitled "Does Bilingual Education Really Work?  The Case of Texas."  TPPF has posted an MP3 interview between Dr. Rossell and Dave Guenthner that is also excellent ( http://www.texaspolicy.com/tppn_archive.php ). 

I love the way Dr. Rossell very simply explains her conclusions which are based on Texas data gained largely from the Texas Education Agency staff and website.  Dr. Rossell's conclusions would also apply to other states who have heavy bilingual programs. 

In a nutshell:  Bilingual education costs from $200 - $700 more per pupil. Bilingual education is the least effective program for English Language Learners (ELL) who need to learn English.  ELL students who are in bilingual education take fewer TAKS tests in English, indicating that bilingual education is less effective than all-English programs in helping students to gain English acquisition. (Please go to page 3 and also to pp. 12-14 in the report to see Dr. Rossell's conclusions and recommendations.)

Dr. Rossell defined bilingual education as:  "...instruction provided to students in their native tongue in all subjects in a self-contained classroom with other students that speak the same language.  English is typically taught by the bilingual education teacher."

In the MP3 audioclip posted on the TPPF website, Dr. Rossell said that sheltered English immersion programs are the best because they teach academic content in English but teach it slowly.  As children become more familiar with English, the teacher picks up the pace. Dr. Rossell believes that children should only stay one year in sheltered immersion programs and then should be integrated into the regular English classrooms.

Dr. Rossell said that bilingual teachers with whom she has spoken have stated that if sheltered immersion programs had been around in the early 1970's when bilingual education first came along, teachers definitely would have chosen sheltered immersion programs because they know they are more effective at teaching children English. 

Dr. Rossell's report has wide implications for states such as Texas, California, and Florida.  The MP3 recording lasts less than fifteen minutes, and the report itself is only 23 pages long.  Policymakers, educators, and parents from around the nation should take the time to study Dr. Rossell's work not only because of the academic implications of the report but also because of the monetary drain bilingual education programs represent on our economy.