Language Minorities and ESL

1
Language Minorities and ESL Bilingual Education
in California Schools

• Dr. Melvin R. Andrade
• Sophia Junior College
• Conference on Language Diversity Language
  Ecology, Linguapax Asia 2004, United Nations
  University, Tokyo, April 17, 2004

2
About this Presentation

• Purpose to present an overview of issues
  concerning language diversity and ESL bilingual
  in California (informational)
• Intended audience the general public and
  educators interested in but unfamiliar with this
  topic
• Background knowledge no specialized knowledge
  required

3
Contents

• Language diversity across the U.S.A
• Language diversity in California
• Bilingual ESL Education
• Laws,policies, political issues
• What about Japan?

4

• Percentage of persons 5 years and over who speak
• a language other than English at home and speak
  English less than very well. Census 2000,
  TM-P029

5
Census 2000 Brief Language Use and
English-Speaking Ability

• Fig. 1 Census questions
• Fig. 2 Non-English languages at home
• Fig. 3 Languages most frequently spoken
• Fig. 4 Non-English languages by region
• Fig. 5 Distribution of non-English languages

6
Californians Use of English and Other Languages
(Census 2000)

• Map 1 English language use at home
• Map 2 Spanish language use at home
• Map 3 Asian Pacific Island languages . . .
• Fig. 1 Non-English language use by race . . .

7
More than 25 of Californias students are
English learners

• Students whose native language is not English are
  classified as fluent English speakers (FEP) or
  English learners (EL)
• 1990-91 ? 20 of all students (986,462)
• 2000-01 ? 25 of all students (1,490, 666)

8
(No Transcript)
9
English Learners (EL) are

• Students whose primary language - as reported by
  their parents - is not English
• and whose performance on the California English
  Language Development Test (CELDT) indicates they
  do not yet possess the skills necessary to
  succeed in a school's regular instructional
  program.

10
California English Language Development Test
(CELDT)

• Students take the CELDT upon initial enrollment
  and annually thereafter until it is determined
  that they have mastered English. At that point,
  they are reclassified fluent English proficient
  (FEP) and are no longer counted as part of a
  school's EL population.

11
Elementary school, East Palo Alto, CA
12
Pull-out tutoring for 5th graders (1)
13
Pull-out tutoring for 5th graders (2)
14
In 2001-02, 25.4 of California's students were
learning English, while an additional 14.3 had
mastered English though it was not their first
language.

• The primary languages spoken by English Learners
  in California public schools, and the percentage
  of English Learners who speak each language are
  shown in the following graph. (The "Others"
  category includes almost 50 more specific
  languages.)

15
Californias English Language Learners 2000-01
16
What is Bilingual Education?

• A method used to teach language-minority students
  in public schools.
• The concept is that teaching English Language
  Learners partially in their native language will
  enhance their understanding of the curriculum and
  help them succeed in an otherwise English-based
  environment.
• The hope is that once ELL students are fairly
  proficient in English, they can continue their
  education in classes with their English-speaking
  peers. (Source www.ecs.org)

17
The question of whether or not these programs
offer the best education for ELLs remains a point
of contention.

• Proponents of bilingual education believe it is
  the ELLs right and need to make use of their
  native languages to ease their transition to an
  English-only education.
• Opponents say that the programs are hindering
  students ability to learn curriculum by cradling
  them in their native languages too long.
• (Source www.ecs.org)

18
Bilingual Education Act (Title VII)

• The bilingual programs of today are mostly a
  product of the Bilingual Education Act (Title
  VII) passed in 1968.
• Congress passed the act as part of Civil Rights
  Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on
  race, color or national origin in programs or
  activities receiving federal financial
  assistance.
• The Bilingual Education Act requires that, when
  needed, schools must provide equal educational
  opportunities specifically for language-minority
  students. The Office of Civil Rights (OCR)
  enforces the act.
• (Source www.ecs.org)

19
What BEA (Title VII) Requires

• Under the act, ELL students must be kept in an
  adequate program until they can read, write and
  comprehend English well enough to participate
  meaningfully in all aspects of the schools
  curriculum.
• While the OCR provides a set of characteristics
  that bilingual programs must have, it does not
  require any specific program for ELL instruction.
  
• (Source www.ecs.org)

20
Some of the common programs used by schools
include
21
English as a Second Language (ESL)

• The main focus of this program is to teach
  students the English language. Classes may
  include students of different languages.
• The language of instruction is mostly English,
  with little or no use of the ELLs native
  language.
• Usually ESL is taught during a specific school
  period, and students are involved in other
  mainstream, immersion or bilingual classes during
  the day.
• (Source www.ecs.org)

22
Transitional bilingual education

• This program might also be described as an
  early-exit program.
• The emphasis on grade promotion and graduation
  requirements encourages students in these classes
  to learn English-language skills and join
  classrooms with their English-speaking peers as
  soon as possible.
• While both English and the ELLs native language
  are used for instruction, programs vary in the
  amount of time each language is used.

23
Dual-language immersion

• In these classes, there are a fairly equal number
  of English-proficient students and ELLs.
• The classes are structured so that the curriculum
  is taught both in English and the other language.
  For example, an instructor might teach sociology
  in Spanish one week and in English the next.
• All students are expected to learn both
  languages. Dual-language immersion also might be
  described as two-way bilingual education.

24
Because of variations among bilingual programs,
data on the academic success of ELL students can
be difficult to evaluate.

• The General Accounting Office reported in
  February 2001 that out of 70 studies reviewed,
  only three focused specifically on how long it
  took students to attain English proficiency.
  General estimates ranged from four to eight years.

25
Part of the problem is a lack of consensus on how
English proficiency is defined.

• Most states allow ELLs to be exempted from
  assessments if they have been in the United
  States or enrolled in bilingual education
  programs for three years or less.
• In some cases, ELL students also are given
  exemptions based on their English-language-profici
  ency levels.

26
Seeking for Standardized Assessment Systems

• The Improving Americas Schools Act (IASA) of
  1994 required that by the end of the 2000-01
  school year, each state must have an assessment
  system that includes ELLs and ensures that they
  make adequate progress from year to year.
• Including ELL students in statewide assessments
  is aimed at creating stronger accountability for
  bilingual programs.

27
Another development affecting bilingual education
is the English-Only Movement.

• Founded in the early 1980s, this movement
  promotes the enactment of legislation that
  requires the use of English by government
  agencies.
• In a similar vein, English for the Children, a
  national advocacy organization founded by Ron
  Unz, encourages the dissolution of bilingual
  education in favor of English immersion.

28
Unz sponsored a successful ballot initiative in
California (1998) that required schools to use
sheltered English immersion as the core method
for teaching ELL students.

• Temporarily shelters ELLs from competing
  academically with native English-speaking
  students in mainstream classes.
• ELL students must transfer out of sheltered
  classes after one year, unless a waiver is signed
  by the parent. (Traditional bilingual programs
  have no time limits.)
• Unzs goal is to accelerate the process of moving
  ELL students into mainstream classrooms.

29
Some Important Events in California Bilingual
Education Policy

• 1967 Ronald Reagan, then Governor of California,
  ended a 95-year old state education mandate that
  required all schools to carry out instruction in
  English.
• 1968 President Johnson signed Title VII of the
  Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which
  provided funds for staff and materials
  development as well as parent involvement for
  students with limited English skills.
• There was no requirement for schools to use
  non-English languages. The law was specified for
  students who are both poor and "educationally
  disadvantaged because of their inability to speak
  English."

30
1974 The Federal Supreme Court ruled on the case
Lau v. Nichols and stated that "There is no
equality of treatment merely by providing
students with the same facilities, textbooks,
teachers and curriculum for students who do not
understand English are effectively foreclosed
from any meaningful education." Regarding
remedies, "No specific remedy is urged upon us.
Teaching English to students of Chinese ancestry
who do not speak the language is one choice.
Giving instructions to this group in Chinese is
another. There may be others. . . ."
31
1976 Bilingual-Bicultural Education Act

• The first state legislative act that required
  school districts to provide language minority
  students with equal educational opportunities
  despite their limited proficiency in English.

32
1986 Proposition 63 English as the "official
language of California."

• California voters overwhelmingly passed this
  ballot initiative.
• Although passage of this initiative itself did
  not prevent native language instruction from
  occurring in the public schools.

33
1998 Proposition 227 (Unz Initiative)

• All public schools in California are required to
  conduct instruction in English.
• English learners are placed in intensive
  structured / immersion classes for no more than
  one year, after which they are to be placed in
  mainstream English classes. Sheltered English
• The students parent or guardian may waive these
  classes.
• An instructional program was created for
  individuals who tutor LEP students in their
  community. CBET

34
Community-Based English Tutoring (CBET)

• Helps local educational agencies provide free or
  subsidized programs of English language
  instruction to parents or other adult members of
  the community who pledge to tutor English
  learners.
• CBET gt Purpose gt Funding gt Eligibility

35
Purpose For local educational agencies (LEAs) to
provide free or subsidized programs of adult
English language instruction to parents or other
members of the community who pledge to provide
personal English language tutoring to English
learners. CBET gt Purpose gt Funding gt Eligibility
36

• Funding
• LEAs may use these funds for
• direct program services,
• community notification processes,
• transportation services, and
• background checks required of the tutors who
  volunteer in public schools settings.
• CBET gt Purpose gt Funding gt Eligibility

37

• Eligibility
• An eligible LEA is any
• school district,
• county office of education, or
• direct-funded charter school
• that enrolled one or more English learners in the
  previous school year.
• CBET gt Purpose gt Funding gt Eligibility

38
What about Japan?

• Somusho Statistics Bureau http//www.stat.go.jp/da
  ta/nenkan/02.htm

39
Registered Foreigners in JapanSource Japan
Statistics Bureau
40
Nationality of foreigners in Japan by world region
(Source Japan Statistic Bureau)
41
Foreigners entering Japan in 2002 by world region
42
Long-term residents entering Japan in 2002
43
Foreigners entering Japan as permanent residents
in 2002
Total 177,102
44
References and handout available by e-mail

• m-andrad _at_ jrc. sophia. ac. jp