1) Students do not languish in bilingual programs for years.
Most bilingual students mainstream into a monolingual program after 3 years in - Approximately 80%.
2) Bilingual students need the native language support in order to access the curriculum.
TBE Students are learning academic content area in 2 languages (English/Native language) while they are mastering English. Native language is needed in order for them to receive comprehensible instructions. For example, if you are studying American history in China, do you think you can do it totally in Chinese without any proficiency in that language while you are learning Chinese as a second language?
3) Bilingual education is an additive program.
Most Limited English Proficient (LEP) students come to this country with prior cultural and academic knowledge. We should build on that knowledge through a bilingual program where instructions are comprehensible and their languages and cultures are nurtured as assets.
4) Students in a bilingual program are learning English.
ESL is always a component of a bilingual program. Students are learning English through the ESL component of the program. At many times the ESL instructor is a monolingual teacher.
5) The problems with the achievement gap of our students are related to socio-economic issues.
Most of our LEP students came from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Bilingual education is not the panacea for the society's ills nor is it the blame for the academic failure of some of our language minority students. We must take a holistic and comprehensive approach to support the learning environment of LEP students.
6) We had an 80 - 90 % dropout rate for Latino students before the implementation of the bilingual education law. We do not want to go back to those numbers.
7) Bilingual education does not necessarily segregate students.
Many students are learning in an integrated 2-way or modified bilingual education program where LEP students study side-by-side with their native English-speaking peers. In most TBE programs, students are studying music or physical education with their mainstream peers while others are partially-mainstreamed into science, math, or computer science courses where a high level of English proficiency is not required.
8) Multicultural education is a goal of bilingual education and it should be a goal for all K-12 children.
LEP students must see other cultures, including theirs reflected in the curriculum, while they are learning about U.S. history and culture. All children must see the value in preserving one's cultural identity and learn to respect language and cultural diversity as assets.
9) Bilingual education is not a threat to the unity of this country.
The goal of bilingual education is to build successful productive bilingual and bicultural citizens of tomorrow. The preeminence of the English language has never been threatened.
10) Bilingual education helps the acquisition of English.
Research shows that students who have a strong foundation in the first language can master English faster. Research also shows that students who are studying in 2 languages in a 2-way or late-exit TBE (Transitional Bilingual Education program) outperform their peers in the mainstream in English and academic assessment tests.
11) Goals 2,000 and the Education Reform Act of 1993 recognize the value of acquiring more than one language in addition to English.
The Education Reform Act mandates that all children must demonstrate proficiency in one other language before they can graduate from High School.
12) Academic English takes time to acquire.
Research shows that young children can acquire conversational English easily within the first 2 years, but it will take 5 - 7 years to master academic English on par with mainstream students.
13) Studies show children who are bilingual students demonstrate cognitive skills.
Recent research showed that children who are proficient in 2 languages demonstrate greater cognitive skills such as abilities in math and sciences.
14) Bilingual education promotes parental involvement.
Bilingual education programs help to preserve the linguistic and cultural links between the students and their parents, thus facilitating effective communication and parental involvement in the students' education.