Benefits of Bilingualism

Nearly 22% of Americans speak a language other than English at home; many are English and Spanish speakers from immigrant families. Yet many children from immigrant families struggle to develop or maintain proficiency in two languages. Some may lose their heritage language in favor of English; others may fall behind in schools where their progress is evaluated only in English. Can we fix these problems?

Researchers said California should follow Texas' lead and require districts with large numbers of English learners to offer bilingual education.

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to build connections within itself, adapting to the surrounding environment. The brain is most plastic in childhood, forming new pathways in reaction to stimuli such as language. Past research has shown that learning a second language may positively affect attention, healthy aging, and even recovery after brain injury. A new study from the Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of McGill University, the University of Ottawa, and the University of Zaragoza in Spain elaborates on bilingualism’s role in cognition, showing increased efficiency of communication between brain regions. Scientists recruited 151 participants who either spoke French, English, or

New ELs in Delaware help boost the academic performance of students in receiving schools.

Kids from immigrant backgrounds in the US often struggle to develop fluency in two languages. Many factors — parental misconceptions, the lack of support in schools and social attitudes — play a role.

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School is back in session and many students are in dual-language or bilingual programs. We hear from educators about the wide-ranging benefits of bilingual education.

Schools that lack such programs, don’t offer meetings with English learner families, and are overcrowded were associated with worse performance.

What are language immersion programs? Learn about the types and benefits, plus how to run a successful program and the best age to start.

A guide to earning the State Seal of Biliteracy for high school graduates proficient in English and one or more other languages.

The Native American Community Academy network has big plans but faces growing pains. At 13 campuses in five states network supports tribal communities that have found little support in traditional K-12 systems. They want academic alternatives that reflect their hopes and expectations for the next generation

Bilingual individuals with Alzheimer’s disease showed preserved hippocampal volume compared to monolinguals, suggesting bilingualism may provide brain maintenance benefits.

What would you say if I told you that 60 of the world's population possess a skill which allows them to have better : communication, creativity and…

Researchers in Montreal are pointing to the benefits of bilingualism for the brain's health and efficiency — suggesting it could even help prevent diseases associated with aging, including Alzheimer's.

A study shows that bilingualism may contribute to brain resilience in older adults. Researchers found that bilingual Alzheimer's patients had larger hippocampi than monolinguals.

Why bilingualism can work wonders for your brain %

Bilingualism has a profound impact on the structure and function of the brain, but it is not yet well understood how this experience influences brain functional organization. We examine a large sample (151 participants) of monolinguals and bilinguals with varied age of second language acquisition, who underwent resting-state functional magnetic brain imaging. Whole-brain network analyses reveal higher global efficiency in bilingual individuals than monolinguals, indicating enhanced functional integration in the bilingual brain. Moreover, the age at which the second language was acquired correlated with this increased efficiency, suggesting that earlier exposure to a second language has lasting positive effects on brain functional organization. Further investigation using the network-based statistics approach indicates that this effect is primarily driven by heightened functional connectivity between association networks and the cerebellum. These findings show that the timing of bilingual learning experience alters the brain functional organization at both global and local levels. Early bilinguals showed greater brain network efficiency, driven by increased inter-hemispheric cortico-cerebellar functional connectivity, compared to monolinguals.

Without Googling, how many P-12 students would you guess are learning English in public schools? A couple hundred thousand? A couple million? Tr

There are cognitive and neurological benefits to bilingualism, according to a 2012 study published in the journal Cerebrum.

Understanding and accounting for linguistic diversity is critical in diagnostics and treatment for dementia.

People who know more than one language may have a better chance of maintaining their cognitive ability late into life or after neurodegenerative conditions, says an expert at the University of Alberta.

We turned to the experts to find out the best age to learn a new language, including the benefits and drawbacks at various developmental stages.

The long-held idea that language learning is better before adulthood is up for debate. Adults have a number of advantages when it comes to learning a second language, and it comes with major benefits.