Preparing LAUSD Students for the Global Economy:

Maximizing the Assets of Dual Language Learners

in the Early Years

Vickie Ramos Harris Associate Director of Education PolicyEducational EquityAdvancement Project California

Dr. Marlene ZepedaProfessor, EmeritaDepartment of Child and Family StudiesCalifornia State University, Los Angeles

Early Childhood Education & Parent Engagement CommitteeJanuary 24, 2017

“One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way."

- Frank Smith, contemporary psycho-linguist from Harvard University

ELs & DLLsEnglish Learner (EL) - K-12 students who have a home language other than English, and are learning English as a second language.

Dual Language Learner (DLL) - term used in ECE to refer to children, birth to age five, that are learning two or more languages at the same time, or are learning a second language (e.g. English) while continuing to develop their home language.

Policy & research have used the term DLLs to reflect:

u how children learn language

u the home language as an asset

u the importance of building home language proficiency while developing English proficiency.

CA and LAUSD EL/DLL populationCalifornia

u 1.4 million ELs enrolled in public schools

u 70% of CA’s ELs are in elementary schools

u 57% of children birth through age five are DLLs

LAUSD

u 50% of the over 14,000 children LAUSD’s Early Education Centers & State Preschool programs are DLL students

u 165,000 (26%) of LAUSD students are ELs

California and LAUSD have important leadership roles in advancing policy and practice in DLL/EL education

Source:PatricialK.Khul,2011

Advantages of BilingualismBilingual brains switch between two languages, and thus:

u Are very active and flexible and can learn new information/skills more easily

u Have stronger focus

u Strengths problem solving and thinking skills

ELs in a two-language program (English and their home language) have:

u higher overall reclassification, English proficiency, and academic threshold passage by the end of high school.

Importance of Family Engagement

Strong family-child bonds are important to:

u establish strong cultural identity that serve as a critical foundation for learning

u help children bridge the diverse cultural worlds of home and school

School-family engagement & partnerships:

u assist educators in bridging cultural and linguistic differences and gain deeper understanding of a child's development

u help families recognize the importance of strengthening and preserving the home language and culture for student success

u support families to understand student progress and the role families can play in supporting their children’s learning.

u provide opportunities for families to voice opinions/concerns and help determine ways families can be supportive in addressing these issues.

Types of Programs for Dual Language Learners/English Learners

Early Education (ages 0-5) K-12 Education

Develops fluency in more than one language

Home Language Development as a Foundation for English DevelopmentHome language is the main language of instruction, serving as the foundation for English development. English is gradually introduced.

Maintenance Bilingual ELs are exposed to both primary language and English throughout their elementary school years with the goal of full bilingualism and biliteracy.

Dual Language Approach Instruction in the home language and in English, 50%/50% or a balanced approach.

Dual Immersion or Two Way Immersion Both DLLs and monolingual English speakers are exposed to English and another language (e.g., Spanish, Cantonese, Filipino, etc.) with the goal of both DLLs and native English speakers becoming bilingual and biliterate in both languages.

Focuses on English Languagedevelopment

English with Home Language SupportEnglish is the language of instruction and includes strategies to support DLLs while they are learning English

Transitional ProgramsUses instruction in EL's primary language as a bridge to English acquisition; its aim is to achieve relatively rapid transition to English

English Immersion English only is not recommended for DLLs

Structured English Immersion EL students may be mixed with monolingual English speaking children and are instructed only in English; no accommodations are made for the primary languages of DLL children

Key Policies

u Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

u Federal DLL Policy Statement

u First 5 California DLL Pilot

u Proposition 58: LEARN Initiative

Recommendations For LAUSD

u Expand Multilingual Opportunities at LAUSD

u Begin with Early Childhood

u Build on Existing Capacity

u Offer Differentiated Professional Development

u Explore Multiple Pathways for Multilingual Programs

u Target EL and Underserved Communities

u Build Awareness and Engage Families

u Set Programs Up for Success

“In an interconnected, interdependent global economy, we must prepare our children for a future in which their social and economic success will depend on their ability to understand diverse perspectives and communicate with people from other cultures and language groups. This isn’t a matter of getting ahead – it’s a matter of catching up.”

- Arne Duncan, Former US Secretary of Education &Libia Gil, Out-going Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of English Language Acquisition

Thank you!

Vickie Ramos Harris Associate Director of Education PolicyEducational EquityAdvancement Project California

vramos@advanceproj.org

Dr. Marlene ZepedaProfessor, EmeritaDepartment of Child and Family StudiesCalifornia State University, Los Angeles

mzepeda@exchange.calstatela.edu