Effective Programs for Latino Students by Slavin Robert E.; Calder¢n Margarita; Calderon Margarita

Author:Slavin, Robert E.; Calder¢n, Margarita; Calderon, Margarita
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group

DISCUSSION

Importance of the Study

A Promising Program and the Potential of Transitional Bilingual Programs. Results indicate the multiyear transition program is demonstrably more effective than the program students typically receive, producing higher levels of Spanish literacy, significantly higher levels of English literacy, and important literacy-related practices and attitudes for significantly larger numbers of students. In fact, results reported here likely provide a conservative estimate of program effects because students participated in the program as it was being developed. Similar to Calderón et al. (1998), this study demonstrates that with careful program design and evaluation, transitional bilingual programs can be improved. There seems to be more potential in these programs than many schools achieve.

identification of Implementation Problems That Limit Transitional Programs. Transitional bilingual programs depend on successive grade-by-grade achievement. Careful program oversight, high-quality primary-language literacy and oral English instruction in Grades K-3, and a transitional language arts program of serious substance and duration are important and interdependent. These are the needs we identified and tried to address. Our experiences at other sites suggest these same needs are widespread but often go unrecognized (see also Berman et al., 1992). Educators and parents tend to assume that low English achievement at the upper grades is evidence that bilingual education per se does not work. But they often fail to scrutinize the quality of primary-language and ELD instruction, and they have little information and few models to develop informed expectations about transition itself.

implications for Improving Transitional Bilingual Programs. Results reported here have direct implications for educators seeking to improve transitional programs. Without adopting our specific program, results suggest significant payoffs might be had by (a) focusing attention on the quality of L1 language arts and oral English language development in the early grades, (b) adopting a longer term approach to transition, (c) establishing an actual curriculum for the transition period, and (d) maintaining L1 language arts instruction during at least the first year when English literacy is introduced. (See Appendix 2: Questions to Guide Schools Seeking to Improve Transitional Bilingual Programs.)

Evidence for Theoretical Principles. Although we have not yet established empirically the individual merit and manifestation of our theoretical principles, the results support them, overall. Challenge, comprehensiveness, continuity, and connections have had a certain utility in our project because, as several studies have documented (cited earlier) and we observed, they are often lacking in transitional programs for English learners. But we suspect the principles will have similar utility for other educators seeking to improve transitional bilingual and other kinds of programs. All four principles resonate strongly with project teachers (Saunders & Goldenberg, 1997). In addition, we are identifying and in some cases confirming the merit of specific principles in the research and development of other teams (see Calderón et al., 1998, specifically for continuity; Jiménez et al., 1996, for comprehensiveness; Thomas & Collier, 1997, for challenge).

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.