What role does bilingual education policy have in the educational opportunity structure for
English language learners (ELLs)? The study of X Public School District Bilingual program exposed all the deficiencies found in Bilingual education. The study was conducted in a district where the majority of ELLs were Hispanics who performed below the 50th percentile in the NJASK3 and NJASK4 Language Arts Literacy and Mathematics as well as below the 20th percentile in the GEPA and HSPA Language Arts Literacy scores for the 2001 through 2005 years. The study focused on five areas: District policy and Philosophy; Curriculum and Instruction; Language Assessment Tools; Staffing and Certification; and School Environment. A number of challenges were addressed …show more content…
Factors including teacher beliefs and personal
experiences related to language and ethnicity, along with the local language
policy context, interact uniquely to result in an enacted policy that is more or less supportive
of bilingual education and, more generally, instruction to language-‐minority students
(Varghese & Stritikus, 2005). Similarly, Johnson (2010) presents evidence strongly
supporting the idea that local enactment of language policy can be heavily influenced by
individuals positioned as experts. He emphasized the need for involvement of applied
linguists at the local (institutional) level, and pointed out that there is much room
for local educators to play a role in policy manipulation. Recognizing that federal- and
state-level policy changes in the arena of bilingual education are low priorities at best,
Cummins (2005) argues that instruction within school and in after-‐school and
community-‐based programs can transform the messages sent to heritage …show more content…
After reading chapter 1 of “Developing the Curriculum” from Olivia and Gordon, I can understand why District X had deficiencies in this area. The author emphasizes the idea that idea that educators use a written plan and not an actual curriculum to provide instruction to students because we have simply never seen what a curriculum actually looks like. We learned that some theorists have provided their conceptions of the term, where some have combined elements of both curriculum and instruction. “Others find a definition of curriculum in purposes or goals of the curriculum, contexts within which the curriculum if found, or strategies used throughout the curriculum.”(Olivia & Gordon, 2013, PG. 6) As recommended by the consultant, the objective of District X policy is to provide students with the greatest possible access to the core curriculum and to appropriate English language instruction so that students can progress from limited English proficiency to fluent English proficiency. I have found myself sharing thoughts about the curriculum we have to follow in school. Plenty of times I have found diverting from the curriculum because it fails to incorporate the cultural aspect in the lessons. The point is that a curriculum is
English language learners (ELLs)? The study of X Public School District Bilingual program exposed all the deficiencies found in Bilingual education. The study was conducted in a district where the majority of ELLs were Hispanics who performed below the 50th percentile in the NJASK3 and NJASK4 Language Arts Literacy and Mathematics as well as below the 20th percentile in the GEPA and HSPA Language Arts Literacy scores for the 2001 through 2005 years. The study focused on five areas: District policy and Philosophy; Curriculum and Instruction; Language Assessment Tools; Staffing and Certification; and School Environment. A number of challenges were addressed …show more content…
Factors including teacher beliefs and personal
experiences related to language and ethnicity, along with the local language
policy context, interact uniquely to result in an enacted policy that is more or less supportive
of bilingual education and, more generally, instruction to language-‐minority students
(Varghese & Stritikus, 2005). Similarly, Johnson (2010) presents evidence strongly
supporting the idea that local enactment of language policy can be heavily influenced by
individuals positioned as experts. He emphasized the need for involvement of applied
linguists at the local (institutional) level, and pointed out that there is much room
for local educators to play a role in policy manipulation. Recognizing that federal- and
state-level policy changes in the arena of bilingual education are low priorities at best,
Cummins (2005) argues that instruction within school and in after-‐school and
community-‐based programs can transform the messages sent to heritage …show more content…
After reading chapter 1 of “Developing the Curriculum” from Olivia and Gordon, I can understand why District X had deficiencies in this area. The author emphasizes the idea that idea that educators use a written plan and not an actual curriculum to provide instruction to students because we have simply never seen what a curriculum actually looks like. We learned that some theorists have provided their conceptions of the term, where some have combined elements of both curriculum and instruction. “Others find a definition of curriculum in purposes or goals of the curriculum, contexts within which the curriculum if found, or strategies used throughout the curriculum.”(Olivia & Gordon, 2013, PG. 6) As recommended by the consultant, the objective of District X policy is to provide students with the greatest possible access to the core curriculum and to appropriate English language instruction so that students can progress from limited English proficiency to fluent English proficiency. I have found myself sharing thoughts about the curriculum we have to follow in school. Plenty of times I have found diverting from the curriculum because it fails to incorporate the cultural aspect in the lessons. The point is that a curriculum is