Your View: Innovation School brings opportunity where little exists

The Standard Times - September 26, 2012
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120926/OPINION/209260314

By Kerry DeJesus, Andrea Galipeau, and Catherine Stillerman
Kerry DeJesus, Andrea Galipeau and Catherine Stillerman are members of the Esperanza School of Language and Culture Design Team regarding Innovation Schools.

 

In January 2010, Massachusetts launched the Innovation Schools initiative as part of education legislation aimed at giving "all students and families greater access to high-quality schools." Autonomies of curriculum, staffing, budget, schedule/calendar, professional development, and district policies enable these public schools "to implement innovative strategies to improve student achievement while keeping school funding within districts."

Already, 44 Innovation Schools have been approved by school districts from Cape Cod to the Berkshires. This January, the New Bedford School Committee joined these other districts by voting to establish Innovation Schools here in our city.

The three members of the design team of the Esperanza School of Language and Culture Innovation School are educators who have a vested interest in the education of New Bedford's children. We either live in New Bedford, work or have worked with English language learners here in New Bedford or both. We are taking the opportunity given to anyone in the community, including but not limited to New Bedford Public School teachers, to create a school that will have the ability "to better meet the unique needs of (its) particular students."

We are not outsiders coming into New Bedford with the mission of destroying the New Bedford Educators Association as has been suggested. In fact, two of us are members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association and know the importance of having a union to support us in our job of educating children.

It is important to understand that the same education for all does not provide equal education for all. If we as a community want our children to have equal opportunities in life, then we need to reconsider how we educate them. Students who attend Hayden-McFadden have different needs than the students who attend Betsey B. Winslow.

By approving Innovation Schools, New Bedford is opening the door for education to be student driven. It is encouraging us as a community to rise to the occasion and be part of the change we want and need in our educational system. The Innovation School model allows all stakeholders, including principals, teachers, staff, parents and community members, to have a voice in the education of our students. It also holds us accountable through annual measurable goals ensuring that our students continue to make progress.

We proposed the Esperanza School of Language and Culture as a way to respond to the "have nots" in the Hannigan and Taylor districts in the South End. These are children who come from homes where a language other than English is spoken. They do not have the stability of being a member of their neighborhood school as they might be bused to several schools in the city during their short elementary career to receive Sheltered English Immersion services (SEI) at their current English proficiency level. Parents of most native English speaking children in this city would not stand for their children to be in a different school every year.

These children do not have the opportunity to listen to and learn from their English speaking peers as they are segregated in SEI classes where the teacher is their only model. Once they no longer qualify for SEI classes, they do not have the continued English language support necessary to be successful academically in higher grades and many fall further and further behind until they quit school altogether. In addition, parents of these children often do not have any way to effectively communicate with school.

The current situation of our English Language Learners is not the fault of the teachers of the New Bedford Public Schools. Rather it is the result of a system that has developed over time in response to the amendment of Chapter 71A in 2002 regarding the educating of English Language Learners.

The Esperanza School will be a dual language immersion school. This model of second language learning is not only highly effective for ELLs in learning English, but in learning overall. Research has shown that ELLs participating in a dual language program achieve scores on state tests at or above their native English speaking peers.

Another benefit to the dual language model is native English speaking students have the opportunity to become fluent and literate in a second language while increasing their cognitive function. In short, learning a second language helps to develop a better brain.

It is true that the Esperanza School of Language and Culture will not be able to educate every student in the city, but it will provide students in its neighborhood with the skills and support they need to be successful in high school and beyond. This is something not all have access to under the current system, perpetuating the cycle of haves and have nots.

We encourage the New Bedford Educators Association to look at Innovation Schools from a different perspective. Innovation Schools will provide New Bedford with the opportunity to adapt and perfect successful models of education, school governance and support systems for students and families, which can then be implemented in other schools in the city. It is difficult to create effective change on a large scale, but starting small often leads to great success.

Video: Utah Dual Immersion

In 2008, a bill passed in Utah to develop and expand dual language education throughout the state.  Programs were initially created with Chinese, French, and Spanish as the partner languages.  According to this video, German and Portuguese programs have now been created.  In the 2011-2012 school year, there were 57 dual language programs in Utah.  Their goal is to have 100 schools serving 30,000 students by 2015.


The Utah State Office of Education explains the benefits of dual language immersion.

• Second Language Skills - Students achieve high proficiency in the immersion language.
• Improved Performance on Standardized Tests - Immersion students perform as well as or better than non-immersion students on standardized tests of English and math administered in English.
• Enhanced Cognitive Skills - Immersion students typically develop greater cognitive flexibility, demonstrating increased attention control, better memory, and superior problem solving skills as well as an enhanced understanding of their primary language.
• Increased Cultural Sensitivity - Immersion students are more aware of and show more positive attitudes towards other cultures and an appreciation of other people.
• Long Term Benefits - Immersion students are better prepared for the global community and job markets where a second language is an asset.

Source: http://www.schools.utah.gov/curr/dualimmersion/

Research Review - Two-Way Bilingual Education: A Progress Report on the Amigos Program

Cazabon, M.T., Lambert, W.E., & Hall, G. (1993). Two-way bilingual education: A progress report on the Amigos program (Research Rep. No.7). Santa Cruz, CA and Washington, DC: National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning.

PDF available at http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/633345b4

Abstract:

The Amigos two-way bilingual education program began as a collaborative effort between the Cambridge (Massachusetts) Public Schools' departments of desegregation and transitional bilingual education. Parents, teachers, administrators, and members of the community formed a committee to explore the possibility of developing a program that would combine the best features of transitional bilingual education (for limited-English-proficient students) and language immersion education (for native English speakers). The committee sought a way to end the isolation of language minority students from the rest of the school and to provide language majority students with the opportunity to acquire proficiency in a second language.

 

The Amigos program commenced in September 1986 and currently serves close to 250 public school students, half of whom are from Spanish speaking homes, the other half of whom are from English-speaking homes. Half of their instruction is provided in Spanish, the other had [sic] in English.

 

This report describes research that was conducted on the achievement in mathematics and in Spanish and English language arts of Amigos students and students in control/comparison groups. Also presented are data collected on students' and parents' attitudes toward bilingualism and biculturalism; students' self-assessment of academic competence and self-esteem; teachers' judgment of students' academic competence and self-esteem; and social-interactional patterns among Amigos students from different ethnic backgrounds.

Background:
Students in the Amigos program were either grouped as English-Amigos or Spanish-Amigos. The corresponding control groups were made up of students in conventional programs. The English control group attended all-English public school. The Spanish control group was made up of students with a Hispanic background who attended a standard bilingual education program or sometimes an all-English program.  The students were in kindergarten to 3rd grade.

In order to make an accurate comparison between the Amigos groups and the control groups, the researchers matched students groups according to gender, socioeconomic status, and intellectual ability.  The latter was assessed by Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices Test which measures non-verbal abstract thinking.  In order to be included in the data analysis, each student in the Amigos program had to be matched with his/her equivalent in the corresponding control group. 

In this study, students were tested in English and Spanish reading as well as math in both languages. 
 

Key Quotes: (emphasis added)

"Everyone involved in the decision, including representatives of the Cambridge bilingual department and desegregation office, the Superintendent of Schools, and the Director of the Office of Equity, was convinced that the two-way model would eliminate the isolation of language minority students, provide them with a rich English-language-learning environment, and support their academic learning. In addition, majority language students would be given the opportunity to learn Spanish with native-Spanish-speaking peer models with no risk to their first language development or their academic achievement." (p. 5)

"Providing children with the opportunity to cultivate friendships with children from different ethnic backgrounds is a major focus of the Amigos program. Hispanic students are given the clear message that Spanish language skills need not be exchanged or sacrificed for English skills. Through natural interaction, English speakers learn Spanish from their Spanish-speaking peers, who serve as alternate role models, just as Spanish speakers learn English from their native-English-speaking peer role models." (p. 5)

"...very few children leave the Amigos program from year to year and that usually a dropout case is simply a move away from the district." (p. 10)

"In summary, the English-Amigos children are progressing normally in English language development, staying at the same level as or above Raven matched English-speaking controls. There is no evidence that the Amigos program--which offers only half the instructional time in English--places the English-Amigos youngsters at any disadvantage compared to English controls who follow an all-English curriculum." (p. 17)

"In summary, the Spanish-Amigos pupils are only slightly below the national norms for competence in English reading and at the norm level for mathematics achievement (measured through a test given in English), and in general they outperform matched groups of Hispanic pupils whose bilingual curriculum emphasizes much more English instruction as a preliminary to mainstreaming into all-English programs. Thus, giving only half time to English instruction while devoting equal time to home language development--the case of the Spanish-Amigos groups--has promoted better (and essentially native-like) competence in English reading skills relative to the Spanish control groups. Moreover, the program appears to have promoted better working knowledge of English, that is, a higher level of application of English to the understanding and use of English in the domain of mathematics than is the case for the Spanish controls." (p. 18-19)

"Overall, the outcomes suggest that the Amigos experience promotes a solid balance of English and Spanish skills for both the Spanish-Amigos and the English-Amigos pupils. Neither group shows any signs of losing out in the development of home language skills as they progress toward functional bilinguality and biculturality." (p. 23)

Research Findings on Dual Language Immersion Programs

As a Level 4 district that is trying to reform the educational experience of our students, New Bedford Public Schools needs to evaluate and adopt research-based program models that address our needs. Two-way dual language immersion has a track record of dramatically improving student achievement for both English Language Learners and native-English speakers. The Esperanza School of Language and Culture will implement such a program and provide an enriching educational experience for our students.

Starting in 1985, Virginia Collier and Wayne Thomas have collected data regarding the academic achievement of English Language Learners both during enrollment in special programs as well as after they exit from these programs. The data in this graph includes over 6.2 million student records*. In order to be included in this data set, students needed to meet three requirements. They entered school in kindergarten, had no English proficiency when they enrolled, and were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. These students were in urban, suburban, and rural schools throughout the country. With over 6.2 million student records from different parts of the US, this data has a high degree of generalizability.

Grade levels are presented along the x-axis of the graph. Along the y-axis, test scores are ranked by normal curve equivalents**. NCEs are comparable to percentiles in that the scores are distributed along a scale that goes from 1 to 99. The dashed line at the 50th NCE represents the average standardized reading test score for native-English speakers at a given grade level.

In order for English Language Learners to close the achievement gap, they must meet or exceed the average results of the native-English speakers at that grade level. Their native-English speaking peers are making progress every year. This means that ELLs need to make more than a year's progress in a year's time and this growth must be sustained over several years.

In terms of this graph, the results for a given program model must exceed the 50th NCE to show achievement gap closure. There are two program models which do exactly that – both are dual language immersion programs. The average results for students in two-way dual language immersion programs ended up at the 61st NCE. This means that, once students are in secondary school, the average ELL who attended a two-way dual language immersion program starting in kindergarten significantly outperformed the average native-English speaker on standardized tests in English reading.

Dual language immersion means that students will learn language and academic content in English and a partner language. The two-way component refers to student enrollment – half the students are dominant speakers of English, while the other half are dominant speakers of the partner language. At the Esperanza School, the partner language will be Spanish.

Original source of graph:
http://www.dlenm.org/Figures/Chapter%205/5.2-%20final.11:09.English%20Learners%20Long-Term%20K-12%5B1%5D%20copy.pdf

 

Collier, V. and Thomas, W. Educating English Learners for a Transformed World.  Albuquerque, NM: Dual Language Education of New Mexico/Fuente Press, 2009.

*Each student record contains information about a specific student for one school year. (added 2-22-13)

**Normal curve equivalents are an equal-interval scale.  Scores are distributed along the range from 1 to 99, just as with percentiles.  However, a change in NCEs at any point in the scale represent an equal change in scores.  For example, a rise from the 25th NCE to the 30th NCE represents the same change in scores as a rise from the 80th NCE to the 85th NCE.  The growth of 5 NCEs in both cases represents the same increase in scores.  This cannot be said for percentiles.  Results at the 1st, 50th (mean), and 99th NCE are equivalent to the corresponding percentile.  Because results are distributed differently, other NCEs are not equivalent to percentiles with the same number.

American Graduate: Dual Language Education

from New Mexico PBS:

 

Several students and a teacher in a dual language program in New Mexico are interviewed.  The students discuss both the academic success as well as personal benefits of dual language immersion.  While parents aren't interviewed, the students talk about how their parents were more able to be involved with their education.  Parents could help their children with assignments and communicate with teachers.

 

http://www.newmexicopbs.org/educate/american-graduate/

Why is dual language immersion at an early age a good idea?

Because a young child's brain is uniquely built - like a sponge - to absorb information and learn new skills quicker than at any other time in their life.

Fact: A child's brain has twice as many synapses (connections) in the brain as an adult.  The young brain must use these connections or lose them.

Young children can learn as many spoken languages as you can allow them to hear systematically and regularly at the same time.  They just have a natural capacity to learn language at an early age.  But if they wait until high school to learn another language, the job is much harder.  Young children are eager learners and may be less self-conscious than older students, or adults, in experimenting with a new language.

Fact: Research consistently find that the immersion experience actually enhances English language development (Cloud, Genesse, & Hamayan, 2000)

The goal of language immersion is for students to become proficient in a second language and develop increased cultural awareness.  But while learning a second language when they are young, students also develop greater flexibility in the way they think, better problem-solving skills, and a better grasp and understanding of their own native language.

Fact: Students in an immersion program typically perform as well, if not better, than those who are not in an immersion classroom on standardized tests.

The curriculum for the elementary language immersion program is the same as is taught in non-immersion classrooms.  All students are held to the same academic standards when it comes to reading, writing, math, and science.  The difference is that the instruction in an immersion classroom is 50 percent in English and 50 percent in Spanish.*  Most students with special needs are also successful in immersion programs when provided with the same support they would receive in a non-immersion program.

 
Learning a second language at an early age...

• has a positive effect on intellectual growth and enriches and enhances a child's mental development
• leaves students with more flexibility in thinking, greater sensitivity to language, and a better ear for listening
• improves a child's understanding of his/her native language
• gives a child the ability to communicate with people he/she would otherwise not have the chance to know
• opens the door to other cultures and helps a child understand and appreciate people from other countries
• gives a student a head start in language requirements for college and increases his/her job opportunities in many careers where knowing another language is a real asset

https://dnn.csd509j.net/Portals/1/Administration/Key%20Initiatives/DLTF%20Page/Why%20DLI%20at%20young%20age%20-%20Web.pdf
Corvallis School District 509J, Oregon

*Dual language immersion programs involve the use of English and a partner language.  It may be Spanish, Portuguese, German, Mandarin Chinese, etc.  In the case of the Esperanza School of Language and Culture, the partner language will be Spanish.

Your View: Innovation Schools critics owe debt to students, community

The Standard Times - January 2, 2013

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130102/OPINION/301020312/-1/OPINION02

By Craig J. Dutra and Thomas G. Davis

Craig J. Dutra is president of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Mass. and Thomas G. Davis is executive director of the Greater New Bedford Industrial Foundation.

Relevant Quotes: (Please follow the link above to read the complete article.)

Innovation schools offer local public schools the opportunity to create choice and curriculum diversity within a unionized public school structure. The vision for Innovation Schools is to incubate change within the context of an urban public education system, which has become bureaucratic and politicized over time. New Bedford Public Schools have suffered at the hands of its inflexible administrative and union leadership for decades. The result is a system that graduates little more than half of its students and one where standardized test scores go down as students progress from one grade to the next.

Unfortunately, this letter [Your View: There's nothing innovative about Innovation Schools] is the latest in a divisive, negative and non-factual campaign that has been orchestrated by the New Bedford Educators Association. We need the labor leaders of New Bedford to take a rigorous and independent view of this issue and not deliver "knee-jerk" essays on behalf of an embattled teachers union. Our students and community deserve better.