Dual Language Education And Education - 1247 Words

Even though Brown v. Board of Education ruled segregation in schools unconstitutional, it exists in a different form today. While the most students in schools are in normal classes, English Language Learners are often separated from the rest of the student body. These students, mostly hispanic immigrants, are put in special classes separate from the main student body where they are given special English instruction. They rarely interact with the main student body, and it often seems that they go to a different school. Dual Language Education solves this problem. In Dual Language Education, all students are taught together. This benefits both the English Learners and the English speakers both academically and socially and better†¦show more content†¦The goal of Dual Language Education is that students not only become bilingual and have high reading and writing levels in both languages but also that they discover and appreciate other cultures. In almost all DLE programs, the partner language is the language of instruction for fifty to ninety percent of the time, depending on the program. As stated in the article, â€Å"The Balancing Act Of Bilingual Immersion† by Samina Hadi-Tabassum, there are three types of ways to divide instruction. The first most common way is division by time. In this method, students spend part of their time learning in one language and then switch over to the the other language. This is done by spending half the day in each language, alternating days, or alternating weeks. The second method used is division by content. In this method, the languages are divided based on subject, with each subject being taught in a specific language. For example, in the French American School in Providence RI, middle schoolers learn math English, science, and their elective in English and French, social studies, Spanish, art, music, physical education, and health in French (Murphy). Finally, the third m ethod is division by staff, in which one teacher teaches English and the other teaches the partner language. This method can be and often is combined with one of the first two methods. The International Charter School in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, uses the first and third methods. Students rotate between