While dual-language immersion programs are showing to be the best way to teach children in two languages, the program is still young and treated with deference by most public education systems.
Kindergarteners in dual-language immersion programs are focusing on learning languages instead of standards for English-only schools. Teachers have to make parents understand once their kids have transferred over to full English in the 4th grade their standardized test scores will improve greatly, according to a recent SpanglishBaby.com article.
Standard tests were not created with early language-learning programs in mind, according to the article. The majority of schools with the programs have lower-than-average-ratings or have been deemed “underperforming” schools.
The benefits of bilingualism later in life should not be missed because the education system is trying to catch up with the realities of the growing Latino population in the U.S., according to the article. Once students get their feet firmly planted in English, they will quickly catch up to their mono-lingual peers.
