Bilingual Education

After reviewing a great deal of material regarding bilingual education, I might still be lost. Actually, the fact of the matter is, I am not the best at interpreting the documentation of the policies developed by the state or TEA. I will say that from what I can tell, TEA's policies do align with much of the information I have been reading and studying. Obviously, the main focus of TEA is to get the students mainstreamed into the English classroom. I mean it makes total sense considering the standards on which our schools are graded and the tests in which our students take. It also makes sense in the fact that we are an English speaking country and in the short term, we should be graduating productive citizens that can help our local communities and economy. Don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily agree with this ideology (I will discuss this later.). Also, it seems to me that the policies set are relatively vague. Maybe vague is not a good word, but maybe open to interpretation. It felt like when I was reading them I could apply any type of program towards bilingual education as long as the focus was getting the student "socially proficient" and "educationally proficient." Obviously, there are specifics standards that must be met, but I would like to see more definition towards the programming.

With the immigration population constantly increasing year after year, there have been many types of programs put in place in order to assist in the mainstreaming of ELL students into fully English classrooms. In the "Not 'One Size Fits All" article, Andrea Honisfeld discusses some program models which include, English-language monolingual program, English-monolingual plus ESL program, Transitional bilingual education program, Maintenance bilingual education program, and structured immersion program. All of the programs have their unique traits and characteristics, but one really blows my mind. I cannot understand the thought process behind the English immersion programs. Research has shown that this is the least favored approach when dealing with ELL students. According to some academic research, it also might arise civil right issues. What I can't understand is how could a school or a district possibly think that a sink or swim approach is the best way to deal with these transitioning students? Unfortunately, I am not too familiar with the program in place at my current school, but I believe that it may be using this approach. Last year, I received a student in my class fresh from Costa Rica. He couldn't speak or understand one bit of English. They told me to do the best I could. Luckily, I speak a some very broken Spanish, but not enough to teach a lesson. The only saving grace was that we have an ESL teacher that he could go see whenever I could afford the time. So, from time to time, I would send him up there to get help on his work (similar to sending a student to Content Mastery). The problem is that the ESL teacher doesn't teach math, so she was limited in what she could help him with, because he basically would sit in there and see the examples I was writing, but couldn't understand any of the teaching. Needless to say, his work was not up to a 9th grade level. This year, I had a student in my class for a week before I knew that she couldn't speak English. When I would ask her questions, she would just nod her head and smile. I thought she was shy, and didn't think twice about it. She actually was doing her work, but I finally figured out when she was absent and missed some work. I had to ask her more invasive questions, and it was then I realized she had no idea what I was saying. Luckily for her, she had a bilingual friend in my class that was helping her. I just do not see the value of these students being in my class when they cannot understand what is being said. I couldn't imagine sitting in a college class in China and having the professor speak Mandarin! Apparently, this is acceptable because the focus is on mainstreaming.

Alright, I don't like to be one that solely complains and never offers a solution. So here it is. You asked what I would like to see in TEA's approach. Well, I would like to see a more defined set of rules governing the programming of bilingual education. I think that we need to embrace the culture of these students and help make sure that they not only become proficient in English, but also maintain their mastery of their native language. My suggestion would be to mandate that all programming favor programs like the maintenance bilingual education program. This program is designed to develop full proficiency in both languages. Allowing students to be proficient in two or more languages will not only make them productive citizens locally, but could open up a global market for them and the benefits could come back full circle. With immigration booming, we need more bilingual educated individuals in every facet of the work force. I mean I am still trying to learn languages in order to be a more productive me. I will teach my kids the same things. So, how do we do it? I propose that in each school, each department should be required to have a bilingual faculty member. I think it could be an aide or a certified teacher. Then, you place all of your ELL students with that aide or teacher in the mainstream classroom. This way, they are not only getting English instruction, but they have immediate assistance when necessary. These teachers should simultaneously focus their lesson plans in English and in Spanish. Depending on the level at which each student is, allow them to receive notes and homework assignments in Spanish as well as English. I know what you are thinking, what if there are several students at different levels? Well differentiate like you would do with a special education student. The bottom line is that we have to be creative, embrace their ability to work in two languages, and not short stick them. Keep in mind that this is just a rough idea and I know that there are flaws present, but I am not an expert and it is a start. Obviously, the emphasis is on Spanish speakers being the ELLs, but their are immigrants coming over from all over the world. Also, the program would have to be based on enrollment, because financially it may not be feasible to do this if the district only had a few ELL students. The point is that I am in favor of creating bilingual students, not just "English proficient" students.

Title 1

Title 1 is a federal program design to help economically disadvantaged students succeed at the state mandated levels, or realistically the TAKS test. This program financially helps Local Education Agency and schools containing larger numbers of underprivileged children. Schools receive these funds by meeting one of four statutory formulas based primarily on census poverty estimates and the cost of education in each state. The title one program has served more than 17 million children, of which, 60 percent are elementary aged. This program can use the financial resources to fund supplemental reading and mathematics programs, as well as some pre-school, after school, and summer programs. Generally, Title I funds are aimed to help those schools with the highest percent of children from low income families, and generally the school must focus Title I services on those students who are failing, or most at risk of failing to meet state academic standards. A school may use Title I funds for school wide programs to serve all children if the school has enrollment of 40 percent low income families.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) raised educational standards and expectations for all students across the board. The idea behind this act, passed by President George W. Bush, was to help students improve academically by raising the expectations. He also wanted to close educational gaps between the races. With the passage of NCLB, funding has increased a great deal on the educational. NCLB also allows students with Limited English proficiency to gain assistance without the necessary economic requirements. This program also created funding and programs to assist with the students who are at risk of dropping out. Also, Title I funds are now available to private elementary and secondary schools. The private school programs are designed to help students meet their educational needs by providing supplemental educational services. These services are developed with the assistance of the private school officials and should be equitable those of public school programs.

Another branch of the Title I program comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This program provides billions of dollars of additional funding to Title I Part A. The funds for this are allocated on four principles: (1) spend funds quickly to create and save jobs, (2) improve student achievement through school improvement and reform, (3) ensure transparency, recording and accountability, and (4) invest one time ARRA funds thoughtfully to minimize the "funding cliff." Due to the nature of this program, funding will not be available long-term. Therefore, schools should invest in short term programs or resources that will create long-term results. They should not commit these funds to programs that will be on-going. These types of programs include after school tutoring programs, professional development programs, and academic coaches.

Ultimately, Title I funds can be used on a plethora of programs to help all students be successful. I think one of the hot ticket topics over the last several years has been technology. It would seem that you could allocate some of the Title I funds to create and expand resources on the campus. This could include career and technology courses, labs, and personal technology such as itouches and ipads. As I continue to learn everyday in my teaching career, one thing I have noticed is how much students are tied to technology. Students are around and use technology on a daily basis. Why not embrace their culture and intrigue by supporting education with the most current technology available. Also, for those students at risk, why not invest in special tutoring programs or classes. One thing I like about our school is the fact that we use pull-out classes to aid these students with improving their state test scores. Why not fund these types of classes through Title I or ARRA? One thing I think that needs to be added to the pull out program is a special counseling program. I think that it is important to talk to these students on a regular basis; checking with them not only academically, but emotionally as well. Hold group sessions explaining the risks of failing and dropping out and what their futures hold if they choose that path. Finally, why not financially support a mentor type program for the students identified as at risk? Mentors can do wonders for a lost child. If given the funding, using a creative head, there is so much you can do to help a student in danger of failing not only TAKS, but life as well.

Reflection #2

As a candidate for the position to revise the district's alternative education program, let me detail some of the ideas I have acquired during my time as a teacher. First, let me be up front and honest about the fact that I have no formal experience with alternative education. I have done some research and determined that alternative education should consist of a program geared to those individuals that experience academic struggles, and due to these struggles have developed severe patterns of disruptive behavior. The disruptive behavior may include but is not limited to physical altercations, insubordination, and truancy. In my opinion, an alternative program does not look like that of a regular daytime program. An alternative program needs to focus first on the behavior and emotional support, and then the academic piece. This is not to say that one is more important than the other. Studies have shown that academic intelligence and capabilities alone have not been found to be the sole key of successful social integration. Social skills, interpersonal skills and social-emotional characteristics have been found to be just as crucial. Throughout the research I have done, the word trust comes up a great deal. The alternative program should begin by focusing on trust. In order for this to occur, trust must start with the staff. The faculty must believe that the students will and are able to succeed. This confidence will flow onto the students and begin to change their attitudes and mentality towards education. As the teachers exude patience, and display a caring attitude, the students will begin to gain trust in the teachers and establish better relationships with the teachers. These relationships will ultimately make classroom management easier and allow the teacher to focus more on the academic requirements for the students. Teachers must create lessons that are more engaging to the students, and focus on individual student needs. Ideally, classrooms would be smaller allowing for the time teachers need to differentiate the instruction. Instruction should also attach education to real-world experience. This will help the engagement aspect of the curriculum.

All across the country, there are several examples of successful alternative education programs. The Centennial School in Pennsylvania has become a model for day-treatment programs. This school uses research-based practices to match curriculum to student's level, analysis of student error patterns, active engagement, and they make connections between learning and the student's world. Also, in Pennsylvania, the creation of a Twilight Academy has become very successful. This school is much different from traditional day programs. The hours of the school is three in the afternoon until seven in the evening. This school has four teachers and limits their enrollment to 60 students. It keeps the class sizes to a maximum of 15 students. The students follow a computer based curriculum that helps the teacher differentiate the learning for each individual student. The students are also exposed to job opportunities during the day, and group counseling sessions at school. The school's success was based on the fact that 11 of the 12 students eligible to graduate meet their requirements, and the following year their was a waiting list for students to be enrolled in the Twilight Academy. The teachers involved in this program also gained a great deal of personal and professional success as well. Overall, this program does need to be modified and improved, but this another example of a successful alternative education program.

If chosen to revise the alternative education program, there are several components I will strive to meet in order to make the program successful. First, I want to make sure that we have the support we need in order to run an effective program. The support has to come from the top. We will need school board support, district support and teacher support. Without the support, our resources could be limited and ultimately effect the results of the program. Their support will be necessary for long-term implementation as well. We will also need teachers and administrators who believe that the program and the students can succeed. This not a program designed to institutionalize troubled kids. This will be a program to give troubled students every opportunity to succeed. The teachers will also need to be creative and willing to diversify their teaching practices. The bottom line is that this will not be a program where students are banished and never heard from again. This is a program that if funded and supported properly could change not only the lives these students, but could improve the community as well.