Benefits of Bilingualism

Published by PRI, November 9, 2016

When you don't speak English, going to the hospital in the US, can be a frightening experience. This was the case for many Mexican farm workers living and working in the Salinas Valley who neither spoke English nor Spanish. Natividad Hospital in Salinas found that four of the most popular languages spoken in the hospital were Native Mexican languages. So, the hospital piloted a program to train indigenous language speakers to become medical interpreters.

Published by ED Dive, November 29, 2016

Over the last 20 years, a rash of studies on bilingualism have revealed the many ways speaking two languages can change the brain, improving attention, empathy, reading skills and more.

NPR reports people who are bilingual can focus on one task for longer and switch tasks more easily, they get more practice responding to social cues, they are better at reading, and those who actively use two languages seem to be protected from age-related dementia.

Dual language programs, specifically, have been identified as a best practice for teaching English learners and researchers point out two-way dual language programs, where students of different language backgrounds learn together, reduces segregation.

Published by KQED, August 29, 2016

Prior to the 1960s, scientists thought children who spoke more than one language had a handicap for learning because they had to spend too much time distinguishing between languages. With more modern brain imaging technology, researchers can now see how multilingualism actually strengthens the brain. People who speak more than one language have a higher density of gray matter that contains most of the brains neurons and synapses.

Scientists are also beginning to distinguish between young children who grow up learning and speaking two languages as compared to those who learn a second language in adulthood. Children use both hemispheres of the brain to acquire language, which means they often grasp the emotional implications of language more deeply. In contrast, adults who learned a second language tend to approach problems presented to them in that language in a more rational, detached way. Scientists hypothesize that it’s because adults often acquire language through the left hemisphere of the brain.

Learn more about the fascinating brain research around multilingualism from this TED-Ed video and the accompanying lesson plans. Many classrooms are filled with students who speak more than one language and they should know that ability is a great strength.

Published by SILive, April 6, 2016

By Carmen Fariña, NYC Schools Chancellor

Like many New Yorkers, I grew up speaking Spanish at home (and a bit of Galician!) and English at school. My parents, who emigrated from Spain, stressed the importance of maintaining literacy in my native and my adopted language, and instilled an understanding of the lifelong benefits of being bilingual and bicultural.
 
Having a foundation in both English and Spanish has been critical along every step of my career path – as a teacher, staff developer, principal, superintendent, deputy chancellor and Chancellor. I've been able to communicate with parents in their native language and even had Spanish-language classes for students when I was an elementary school principal.
 
When I started as Chancellor, I knew that expanding bilingual programs would be central to my goal of equity and excellence for all students. We got right to work, creating a standalone division of English Language Learners and Student Support and opening nearly 40 Dual Language programs.

I'm excited to announce that starting in fall 2016, there will be 38 more new bilingual programs, including 29 Dual Language programs and nine Transitional Bilingual Education programs across the five boroughs in Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Arabic, Polish, and Spanish.

Expanding literacy through bilingual programs is common sense for New York City: We serve 140,000 English Language Learners, who speak 160 languages. Research has shown that children who speak two languages excel in their studies and improve their cognitive, critical thinking and social skills. Mastering two languages will give our students the tools they need for highly coveted 21st century jobs.

Published by the New York Times, March 11, 2016

Yet another benefit to speaking multiple languages.

Published by the Hechinger Report, November 23, 2016

In Ivonne Kendrick’s classroom at Houston Elementary School, 3-year-olds sit cross-legged in a circle, listening to their teacher sing about the fall season.

“Llega el otoño tras el verano,” they repeat after her in Spanish. One month into the school’s new dual-language program, their accents are unmistakably American. But they know how to ask for a “manzana,” or apple, at snack time and recognize that when Kendrick says “fila,” that’s their cue to form a line. The next day, the students will continue their lessons in English, alternating between the two languages throughout the week.

Houston is a low-performing school in the Deanwood neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Its dual-language program is the first to be offered in the area east of the Anacostia River, home to the city’s two poorest wards. The school’s student body is almost entirely African-American.

This story also appeared in The Christian Science Monitor
With bilingualism linked to enhanced academic and social skills, educators say dual-language programs can be used to narrow the achievement gap and equip underserved students for a future in a competitive workforce. Houston is one of a growing number of schools targeting bilingual instruction to black children in low-income areas. Its Spanish-English program opened at the preschool level this school year.

Published by NPR, November 29, 2016

Kids are showing reading gains in dual-language classrooms. There may be underlying brain advantages at work.

Published by the Huffington Post, April 15, 2016

I recently visited a primary school in Tirur, Malappuram district, Kerala. The language of instruction was English. The teacher had great enthusiasm, but the children didn't quite share it and seemed to be restless and distracted. To get to the bottom of this, I decided to have an informal chat with one of the students, Atul. When I asked him what he had learned in class, he was stumped. He didn't know what the teacher was even talking about.

Published by Rutgers Today, March 24, 2016

Encouraging bilingual children to speak their original language while they’re learning English may make those who believe only English should be spoken in American schools cringe, but a group of Rutgers graduate students thinks the practice will make youngsters smarter and more successful as they grow.

RU Bilingual, founded by graduate students in the School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Spanish and Portuguese, is affiliated with an international organization, Bilingualism Matters, dedicated to promoting the benefits of bilingualism around the world. RU Bilingual reaches out to elementary and middle school parents, teachers and students with workshops and assemblies that try to get across the central idea that two languages are better than one for their children.  

“Educators used to assume that children could only learn one language at a time, and that holding onto their first language would hinder them as they tried to learn a second one,” said Jose Camacho, the faculty adviser to RU Bilingual and professor of Spanish and Portuguese.  “But studies conducted over the past 25 years have shown that kids who receive instruction in their first language while learning a second language do better each year in that second language.”