The Larger Public Policy Debate

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The Larger Public Policy Debate

• Language Policy
• Education Policy
• Human and civil rights
• Intergroup competition and conflict
• Status quo vs. progress
• Defining global citizenship in a democratic
  society

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Language Policy

• Treatment of domestic foreigners
• Assimilation vs. acculturation
• De jure and de facto segregation of ethnic
  minorities
• National unity vs. pluralism
• Democratic processes and inclusion for shared
  decision making

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Social Dominance Theory Patterns of Prejudice

• Provides a paradigm for understanding the
  bilingual education debate
• Intergroup relationships of power
• Images of ingroup and outgroup
• Nature of conflict
• Prejudice formation as a strategy in group
  conflicts over power and dominance

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Mobilization for ConflictChallenged Dominance

• Ingroup coalesces to fend off a perceived threat
  to cultural hegemony
• Ingroup rationalizes attacks on outgroup through
  derogation and negative stereotypes, such as the
  bilingual industrial complex

5
Education Policy

• Theoretical foundations and knowledge-base of
  program models
• Allocation of personel and material resources
• Support for program implementation
• Acountability and assessment
• Educational equity and social justice

6
Research Base for Language Minority Education

• More than 30 years of accumulated research on
  effective schooling practices for language
  minority students (August Hakuta, 1997)
• Practical experience and expertise in design of
  pedagogically sound models factors in effective
  program implementation

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Academic Needs of L2/Bilingual Learners
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The K-12 Timeline for Monolingual English
Speakers

• 5 years of language learning before beginning
  formal literacy instruction
• 3-5 years allocated for acquisition of literacy
  skills
• Content learning all along, with emphasis
  shifting to content instruction in grade 4 and
  beyond

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False Assumptions

• A second language is acquired quickly and easily
  when the L2 learner is not allowed to depend on
  his or her first language
• Oral proficiency in L2 is the basis for further
  learning. Therefore, once L2 oral proficiency is
  attained the bilingual advances academically like
  a monolingual learner.
• Content knowledge is stored and retrieved in the
  language in which it was learned.

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The K-12 Timelinefor Bilingual Learners Under
227

• One year of intensive English language learning
• Literacy instruction on the basis of one year of
  language development
• Content learning to follow oral English language
  acquisition with an anticipated delay of 2-4
  years
• Subsequent learning without adjustments for
  literacy and content delays

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Faulty Program ModelsBased on False Assumptions

• No effort to utilize and build on L2 learners L1
  language proficiency
• Focus on short-term intensive L2 language
  instruction
• Decontextualized L2 language instruction
• L2 language instruction devoid of literacy and
  content instructional components
• Exaggerated expectations for rapid L2 acquisition
  and low expectations for mastery of literacy and
  content knowledge

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Negative Consequences for Language Minority
Students

• Increased levels of in-grade retention, which in
  turn lead to a two-times greater probability of
  dropping out of school
• Low levels of literacy and content knowledge that
  slow students academic progress in high school
  sufficient to compete for opportunities in higher
  education

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Normal Distribution CurveA Band of Scores
68
95
99
0
-1?
1?
-2?
-3?
2?
3?
MEAN
? Standard Deviation
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Normal Distribution CurveTwo Populations of
Students
NES
LEP
34 NPR
LEPLimited English Proficient NESNative English
Speakers
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Impact of Proposed Education Policies

• Lowered criteria and non-uniform redesignation
  criteria lead to under-serving language minority
  students in literacy and content learning
• High school graduation exit exam to be
  implemented in AY 2002 will further penalize and
  disadvantage students who began school classified
  as LEP

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School Environment Factors in Effective Language
Minority Schooling

• A supportive school-wide environment in which
  students language and culture are valued
• A customized learning environment with special
  attention to linguistic factors in students
  academic achievement
• Some use of students native language and culture
  in instruction
• High levels of parental involvement and
  parental/community support for the program

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Instructional Factors in Effective Language
Minority Schooling

• A balanced and clearly articulated curriculum
  that incorporates both basic and higher- order
  thinking skills
• Explicit basic skills instruction with
  opportunities for practice and use of strategies
  to enhance understanding
• Highly qualified teachers who receive ongoing
  staff development and support
• Opportunities for student-directed activities
• Systematic student assessment and program
  evaluation

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Proposition 227 is a Public Policy Failure

• 227 fails to provide solutions to challenges of
  cultural integration of language minorities
• 227 fails to improve the quality of education or
  educational equity to language minorities
• 227 has long-term negative effects on LM
  education that will be very difficult to reverse
  once the cause-effect relationships become obvious

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Range of Public OpinionSOUND POLICY MAKING
HIGH
INFORMATION
(Wisdom)
U - I
I - I INFORMED INVESTED
INVESTMENT
I - U
U - U
LOW
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Range of Public OpinionPOOR POLICY MAKING
HIGH
INFORMATION
(Wisdom)
I - I
U - I
U - U UNINFORMED UNINVESTED
INVESTMENT
I - U
LOW
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Long-Term Detrimental Effects of Language
Restrictionist Policy

• Short-term and long-range impact on the teaching
  force
• Pedagogically unsound program model and
  implementation mandates resulting in incoherent
  and ineffective curricula
• Increased in-grade retention resulting in
  decreased academic engagement and higher dropout
  rates
• Rigid policies that prevent local districts
  adaptations to meet particular characteristics
  and needs of their diverse populations

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Patterns of Choice in Language Minority
Programs(García, 2000)

• 5 of Californias school districts had
  structured English immersion (SEI) programs
  before 227
• 21 eliminated their bilingual program
• 32 maintained their bilingual program
• 42 provided choice to parents and schools to
  have SEI or bilingual programs
• LM program decisions based on ideology of
  principals teachers, stability duration of
  previously implemented bilingual programs, and
  the availability of bilingual program expertise
  (BCLAD teachers administrators)

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Proposition 227s Impact on the California
Teaching Force

• 32 fewer bilingual credentialed teachers are
  teaching in classrooms assignments where they are
  using their BCLAD credential after 227 passed in
  1998
• A 52 decline in the number of teacher candidates
  seeking a BCLAD credential
• Underutilization of bilingual teachers in
  assignments with beginning ELL students where
  they are prohibited from using L1 as a medium of
  instruction
• Increased demands on monolingual CLAD teachers
  for which they are ill-equipped by lack of
  linguistic and pedagogical skills