Press 1 for English? These days, biliteracy deserves not just tolerance, but academic rewards [Editorial]

Happy to see the editorial board of the Houston Chronicle cite my Houston ethnography, Subtractive Schooling, to connect the dots between the treatment of immigrants, discrimination against Mexican Americans, Texas' current “State Seal of Biliteracy,” and (what should be) making America great, namely, through biliteracy—or literacy in two languages.  Spanish-English literacy, through bilingual and dual language programs is what is indeed happening throughout Texas, including places like Houston, El Paso, San Antonio, and Austin, at varying degrees.  This should arguably be happening everywhere throughout our state and nation.

To my awareness, it has been years since the Houston Chronicle has cited my work.  And only once amongst a handful of times.  Regardless, this means that our work as researchers, scholars, and critical ethnographers makes a difference in the world.  And for that I am very pleased.

Angela Valenzuela

Press 1 for English? These days, biliteracy deserves not just tolerance, but academic rewards [Editorial]

By The Editorial Board | HOUSTON CHRONICLE

July 21, 2018

BILLY CALZADA, STAFF / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

“English! English! Go back to Mexico. You’re in America!”

“English! English! Go back to Mexico. You’re in America!” 

Not so long ago, that response, described in an ethnography by University of Texas professor Angela Valenzuela, is what Texas schoolchildren could expect for speaking Spanish in the hallways. Punishments and reprimands were common experience for students whose open use of bilingual skills could be perceived as flauting American customs or refusing to assimilate.

Fast forward 20 years. Bilingual skills are not only tolerated; they’re rewarded.

Yes, some of President Trump’s policies seem to be making America less welcoming to refugees, other foreigners and even sometimes non-native English speakers with noticeable accents.

At the same time, policymakers in Texas and elsewhere are acting on research that has suggested the benefits of speaking more than one language range from better ease with multitasking to potentially delaying the onset of dementia. In college and the workforce, the advantages are clear: Multilingual students have improved access to post-secondary education and help-wanted signs across Texas beckon bilingual applicants.

Today, Texas is one of more than 30 states that now offers a “State Seal of Biliteracy.” The commendation recognizes high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in one or more languages other than English.

Texas students and their families should consider setting this seal as an academic goal. School counselors should encourage students to seek it. Districts should proudly display the number of qualifying students prominently on their websites.

In today’s competitive workforce, students need every advantage they can get. For too long, the built-in advantage of speaking a different language in the home was squandered. Now, students can cultivate their language knowledge and turn it into fluency in reading, writing and speaking. The seal can open doors by signaling to colleges and potential employers that the applicant’s language skills aren’t just conversational; they’re comprehensive.

An estimated 1 in 5 Americans speak a language other than English in their home. Even under current anti-immigration policies, that number is not likely to go down significantly. Businesses and schools need a way to communicate with non-English speakers.

Employers posted more than three times more jobs for Chinese speakers in 2015 than they had just five years earlier, according to a report by the New American Economy, a bipartisan coalition of mayors and business leaders that supports immigration reform. During the same time period, the number of U.S. job ads listing Spanish and Arabic as a desired skill increased by roughly 150 percent, according to the report.

Of the 627,000 bilingual positions posted throughout the country in 2015, roughly 70,000 were in Texas. While many employers favor bilingual applicants, there are certain businesses where it is crucial, including education, finance and health care.

Here in our city — a potpourri of cultures and languages — the Houston Independent School District offers opportunities for bilingualism through its 56 dual-language schools. In Texas’ 9th-grade classrooms, populated by an estimated 47,458 English language-learners, the seals not only represent a goal for students, but a celebration of their unique skills.

The seal represents great strides from a day when students were stigmatized for multilingualism. While more can be done to capitalize on the language skills of our state’s native and foreign-born populations, the recognition of today’s policymakers that multilingualism is an asset, not a hindrance, for students and workers is key to Texas’ ability to thrive in the global economy

Exciting Results on Bilingual and Dual Language Education in AISD!!!

It gives me exceeding pleasure to share with you this report that you can download HERE on the 2016-17 results of the bilingual education and English as a second language programs implemented in the Austin Independent School District (AISD).  It has been an uphill battle for a program that like all bilingual and dual language education programs everywhere face, simply take time to develop and mature.

In our fast-paced world of short-term, project funding cycles that masquerade as "reform" in pursuit not only of evidence-based results but "speedily-acquired" ones, as well, this predictable narrative demonstrates that barring a poor program design or low investment, "speeding up" bilingual education results is an untenable proposition.  Our children aren't widgets.  They are human beings negotiating language, culture, and identity in a complex and troubled world that frequently feels more against, than for, them.

This of course requires enormous commitment, time, and resources, if done well.  I truly admire all of our bilingual and dual language education teachers, AISD staff, Austin Area Association for Bilingual Teachers, and our committed leadership including Dr. David Kauffman, Exec. Dir. of English Language Learners, Superintendent Paul Cruz and board member Dr. Ted Gordon for staying the course despite naysayers that sadly, include members of our current school board.

Friends, I understand that five school board member seats are up for re-election.  Let's insist on electing school board members that proudly support bilingual and dual language education, Ethnic Studies, and who support our East Side Schools that they are currently threatening to "consolidate," a euphemism for closure. 

We of course know that these results, while positive, could still be stronger, so that's why we need strong leadership.  Rather than divest our children, teachers, and community of this opportunity, we need to invest in them instead.

Enjoy!

Angela Valenzuela

@AISDProud

Bilingual and English as a Second Language Programs Summary, 

2016-2017

Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to provide information on the bilingual education (BE) and English as a second language (ESL) programs implemented in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) during the 2016–2017 school year. This document summarizes the programs implemented, the numbers of students served, and students’ language acquisition and academic performance.

By the end of the 2016–2017 school year, AISD had enrolled 23,367 English language learners (ELLs), representing 28% of the AISD student population. ELLs’ most common home language was Spanish (89%), followed by Arabic (2%), Vietnamese (1%), Burmese (1%), and Mandarin (1%). Fifteen percent of AISD ELLs were immigrants and 4% were refugees or asylees.

Seventy-two percent of ELLs were enrolled at the elementary school level, and 71% of these students were served in the bilingual dual language (DL) Program. AISD also provided two-way DL program support to ELLs and English native speakers (non-ELLs) at elementary schools. The DL Program was offered at eight middle schools. In addition, AISD offered the Transitional/Late-Exit program at the elementary level and the ESL Program to ELLs at all grade levels.

ELLs were assessed in English language proficiency on the state-required Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS). From 3rd grade on, most ELLs at each grade level received composite ratings of advanced or advanced high, which is consistent with ELLs across Texas acquiring more English as they continue in school. Fifth-grade ELLs made the greater annual progress on TELPAS (64%) than did ELLs at other grade levels. Greater percentages of ELLs at high-income campuses than at low-income campuses had advanced or advanced high TELPAS composite ratings. At other elementary schools, lower percentages of Spanish-speaking ELLs than of students speaking other languages attained advanced or advanced high TELPAS composite ratings. However, this trend was reversed at the middle and high school levels.


In addition, ELLs were assessed in academic subject areas on state-required assess-ments, such as the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) and end-of-course (EOC) exams. When compared with ELLs across the state, AISD ELLs had higher passing rates on many STAAR assessments. For example, AISD ELLs outper-formed Texas ELLs in reading in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades; in math at 3rd and 5th grades; in writing at 4th grade; and in science at 5th grade.


Focusing on a group of ELLs and non-ELLs who were enrolled in AISD for 5 consecutive years and who were matched by socio-economic status, for STAAR math, ELLs had slightly higher passing rates than non-ELLs from grade 4 to grade 7. For reading, non-ELLs’ passing rates were slightly higher than those of ELLs in grades 3 and 4. This gap was smaller by grade 5 and 6 and was no longer observed in grade 7, indicating that ELLs in this study closed that gap by grade 7.

AISD ELLs met the EOC standards at a higher rate than did ELLs across the state in English I, Algebra I, Biology, and U.S. History, while remaining about the same as Texas ELLs on English II. AISD ELLs’ passing rates on the EOC assessments improved slightly from 2016 to 2017 in Algebra I and U.S. History, remained about the same in English I,and decreased slightly in English II and Biology. AISD ELLs who had exited ELL status and were being moni-tored had high STAAR and EOC passing rates in all subject areas, showing their continued academic success after having been served by these programs in earlier years. Lastly, depending on the subject and the grade level, between 13% and 18% of elementary ELLs, 4% and 10% of middle school ELLs, and 2% and 12% of high school ELLs not only passed the STAAR/EOC tests but also reached the highest benchmark (mastered grade level).

Across the district, there were 15 Bilingual/ESL professional development courses, totaling 117 sessions in 2016–2017, and 3,334 AISD staff members benefited from attending these sessions.

Elementary schools offering DL implemented one of three campus-chosen DL model options to better suit the needs of their students, while maintaining the key elements of DL instruction (https://www.austinisd.org/multilingual/dual-language#title). Continuous staff development sessions and campus-based support from bilingual specialists were offered to these schools.

In addition, the specialists piloted the use of a classroom observation guide on a sample of DL classrooms to show whether certain DL classroom elements were present. These preliminary results showed that key DL classroom elements were observed in many classrooms. The results were used by district staff to revise and improve the observation guide, which will be used again in 2017‒2018 with another sample of classrooms. In the Fall of 2017, the observation guide will be shared with campus principals and teachers so they can examine whether key DL elements are present in their campus classrooms. For information about the DL program see the Multilingual Education Team website, https://www.austinisd.org/multilingual.

We need dual language high schools everywhere!

If well staffed, funded, and designed, dual language is second to none. 

Thanks to Bonnie A. Lesley for sharing! 

-Angela

High School Reform

A Spanish-English high school proves learning in two languages can boost graduation rates

Educators believe teaching in two languages can be key to student success

by Tara García Mathewson

 

September 27, 2017

Students participate in morning workshops in advance of national May 1 “Day Without Immigrants” rallies, learning also about the labor rights history of May Day rallies worldwide. Photo: Tara García Mathewson/The Hechinger Report

BOSTON — When the Boston Public Schools opened the Margarita Muñiz Academy in 2012, it was a first-of-its-kind dual-language high school meant to address issues faced by the city’s growing Hispanic population. At the time, Hispanic students were both the most likely to drop out of the city’s schools and the least likely to enroll in college when compared to black, white and Asian students. They still are, but as the academy enters its sixth full year, its student outcomes are drawing praise from a variety of sources, even while administrators note that steep challenges remain.
The idea behind the Muñiz Academy, named for the longtime principal of Boston’s first dual-language elementary school (the Rafael Hernandez K-8 school), was that many Hispanic students would do better in schools that support their cultural background and, with it, the Spanish language. In Boston Public Schools, roughly 39 percent of Hispanic high school students are classified as “English-language learners” because they don’t speak English fluently. Perhaps not surprisingly, these students drop out at higher rates than any other major subgroup. But not at the Muñiz Academy. In 2016, 75 percent of its ELL students graduated, a rate 14 percentage points higher than the district’s average for this group and higher even than the overall graduation rate for BPS.
Meanwhile, on state tests, the school tends to track with the district average, despite having higher percentages of ELLs and low-income students, who might be expected to fall short. And the dropout rate among the first Muñiz cohort, the class of 2016, was just 2.5 percent, compared with a district average of 10 percent. (Some of Muñiz’s initial cohort transferred to other schools or moved out of the district.)

The school’s graduation rates and test performance have earned praise, says Dania Vázquez, Muñiz’s founding headmaster, but she doesn’t want to rest on it. “We don’t think we’ve cracked the nut yet,” she says. For Vázquez, those numbers still leave far too many students without a diploma or the skills they need to succeed in college. Nevertheless, the school’s record lends credence to a new districtwide focus on supporting students’ language and culture to foster academic achievement.

Continue reading here.

Tara García Mathewson

Tara García Mathewson is a staff writer. She launched her journalism career with two award-winning pieces co-produced during a three-month stint at the Kitsap Sun… See Archive

@TaraGarciaM