Dual-language immersion programs growing in popularity

Teresa Watanabe:

Dual-language immersion programs are the new face of bilingual education -- without the stigma. They offer the chance to learn a second language not just to immigrant children, but to native-born American students as well.

In a Glendale public school classroom, the immigrant's daughter uses no English as she conjugates verbs and writes sentences about cats.

More than a decade after California voters eliminated most bilingual programs, first-grader Sofia Checchi is taught in Italian nearly all day -- as she and her 20 classmates at Franklin Elementary School have been since kindergarten.

Yet in just a year, Sofia has jumped a grade level in reading English. In the view of her mother -- an Italian immigrant -- Sofia's achievement validates a growing body of research indicating that learning to read in students' primary languages helps them become more fluent in English.

The Madison School District has launched several dual language programs recently.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at May 12, 2011 2:48 AM
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