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The Language of Learning
Five million children in the nation's public schools are considered
English learners. Nearly a third of
them live in California.
June 2006 marks eight years since voters approved
Proposition 227, a state initiative that mandated
English-only instruction in most of the state's public school classes. Yet there is still no agreement
on whether the law is helping or hurting the state's 1.6 million English learners in school.
Over two months, The California Report explores this issue in "The Language of Learning," six special
reports that go inside classrooms, parent groups and teacher colleges to show how well California is
doing at teaching English to children who are immigrants or the children of immigrants. This
first-of-it's kind series, produced by award-winning education reporter Kathryn Baron, challenges
common assumptions and shows what it means for the future of these children and the state when
English language instruction is uneven.
Photo Slideshow
Part 1: What's At Stake?
Part 2: Dual Language Immersion
Parts 3 and 4: Teaching The Teachers
Part 5: It's Much More Than Language
Part 6: Language As A Civil Rights Issue
How the Series Was Reported
Glossary
Links
Staff
Underwriting
Photo Slideshow
See photos from the Language Academy of Sacramento, Hook Junior High School in Victorville, and Prairie
Elementary School in Elk Grove.
Part 1:
What's At Stake?
Mon, May 22, 2006
 Listen
English learners in California comprise a quarter of all public school children -- more than the entire
individual populations of Rhode Island, New Hampshire and ten other states, as well as the District of Columbia.
By sheer size alone, that makes California a national laboratory for educating English Learners. But
California's options for teaching these students are limited by Proposition 227. The voter-approved law
mandates that English learners be instructed primarily in English. In part one of "The Language of Learning,"
we hear what challenges that law poses for students like sixth-grader Adrian Garcia and his teacher at
Elk Grove's Prairie Elementary School near Sacramento.
Part 2:
Dual Language Immersion
Mon, Jun 5, 2006
Listen
A small but growing number of California schools are implementing
dual language (or two-way) immersion programs.
The goal of these programs is to teach children to be bilingual. In part 2 of "The Language of
Learning," we hear how English learners at Sunset Elementary School in Fresno share a class with native
English speakers, and are becoming fluent in one another's language.
Parts 3 and 4:
Teaching The Teachers
Mon, Jun 12, 2006 and Mon, Jun 19, 2006
Listen (part 3)
Listen (part 4)
The debate over the best way to prepare California teachers to educate the state's growing English learner
population is ongoing and widespread. In parts 3 and 4 of "The Language of Learning," we listen in on a
series of hearings recently conducted by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) as it
considered what requirements to include in a new credential developed to reflect the many languages spoken
in California's classrooms. An equally complicated problem is how to help teachers already in the classroom
who never received any special training to work with English Learners. We visit programs at Sacramento State
University and San Jose State University, where future teachers are learning new skills and techniques to
work with the state's changing student population.
Part 5:
It's Much More Than Language
Mon, Jun 26, 2006
Listen
Bilingual education is about much more than language. It's about culture, family and relationships. Some
school districts are acknowledging these connections with programs that help bring the entire family into
the school fold. Immigrant parents are taking English classes, computer classes, and parenting programs.
They're also learning how to talk to their children's teachers, and why it's important to be involved in
their children's education. In part 5 of "The Language of Learning" we follow some Chinese parents in the
Visitacion Valley neighborhood of San Francisco as they learn how to assert themselves, and we'll hear
how Spanish-speaking parents in the Inland Empire city of Victorville are learning about their rights and
responsibilities to be the best possible advocates for their children.
Part 6:
Language As A Civil Rights Issue
Thu, Jun 29, 2006
Listen
Bilingual education is inextricably tied to immigration, race and class as a civil rights issue in
California. English learners are disproportionately poor and disenfranchised. In June 2005, the Coachella
Valley school district sued the state of California to force the state to test new immigrants in their
native language.
No Child Left Behind, the federal education law, allows this, but California law requires
testing in English after first grade. Nine other school districts have since signed onto the lawsuit. Seven
years after state lawmakers approved the
California High School Exit Exam, the test remains divisive and is
being battled in the courts. In part 6 of "The Language of Learning," we hear why opponents say the exam
jeopardizes the future for low-income students and English learners and why supporters say the high standards
set by the graduation test are the best way to level the playing field.
How the Series Was Reported
Reporting on English learners in California schools is a bit like hiking down the Grand Canyon -- on the surface
is a vast panorama with a multitude of trail heads, each leading through a different but equally fascinating
terrain. Deciding which paths to take was the first big challenge.
This is a story that touches on politics, civil rights, family, relationships, and of course, education. We
decided to keep the central focus on education and explore the other issues in relation to that. With that
still broad framework, we took our microphone inside classrooms and teacher colleges to explore the impact
of Proposition 227, to try to show how new immigrants learn English, and to listen in as student teachers
prepare to take over classrooms with increasing numbers of English learners.
The initial research began last summer and involved finding the most current reports and reading them, tracking
down experts, and finding representative schools that would also agree to let us record their classes.
We started the project with lots of what we hoped would be innovative ideas to really get inside classrooms
and communities. Some panned out and others didn't. Some of the initial ideas for the individual reports
became blueprints that evolved once we started meeting people and visiting places. But we kept one goal firm --
to tell the story through the people most affected as much as possible, using the experts only to provide the
necessary authoritative voices and explanations.
That's where sixth-grade teacher Nathan Brigham came in. He was exceedingly patient and generous with his
time, letting us visit his class over several months at Prairie Elementary School in Elk Grove, just south
of Sacramento. And after a quick lesson with a cassette recorder, Brigham also agreed to keep an audio journal
of the challenges and triumphs he faced in working with Adrian Garcia, a new student from Mexico who arrived
in class speaking almost no English.
There were weeks when it felt as if we were glued to the car seat -- traveling to Silicon Valley, to the
Central Valley, to southern California, and to the Inland Empire -- the fastest growing urban region in the
country, led by the largest percentage of Mexican migrants. There we spent time in the close-knit, high-desert
community of Victorville, where immigrant parents were studying the federal education law to help their
children be successful in school.
There were also many hours sitting in the principal's office, waiting for permission from a mom or dad to
interview their son or daughter about their personal experiences trying to learn English. Whether they spoke
Spanish, Hmong or Chinese, we also faced ongoing challenges in making sure we could communicate directly
with parents or seeking translators to help facilitate conversations.
We are especially fortunate to have the solid support of KQED Public Radio behind this series. California's
most listened-to public station has a strong commitment to reporting on education and on how the state's
demographics are affecting all aspects of life here.
In addition to that backing, the "Language of Learning" series also received significant assistance from the
University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism through its Journalism Fellowships in Child
and Family Policy. That additional funding gave us extra time to report and write and travel so we could do
justice to a subject that is becoming the story of California today.
Glossary
Bilingual Cross-Cultural, Language and Academic Development (B-CLAD) credential - A teaching credential
specifically designed for teachers who will be working with English Learners. Teachers must pass a series
of tests and receive a certificate in a language of emphasis.
Bilingual Programs - A method of instruction for English learners where students receive instruction in
their primary language and learn English as well. Generally students are grouped by their native language
and have a teacher who is fluent both in the native language and English.
California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) - A statewide exam that California students will have to pass
to receive a high school diploma. This was supposed to be the first year the exam was required for graduation,
but it has been held up in the courts by legal challenges.
Charter School - A public school that has been granted a charter so that it is exempt from certain state
education guidelines.
Dual Language Immersion or 2-Way Language Immersion Program - A type of bilingual education program with
the goal of developing bilingualism both for English Learners and fluent English speakers. Many of these
programs are set up as alternative schools or Charter Schools.
English Language Learner (ELL) or English Learner (EL) - Also referred to as Limited English Proficient
(LEP). A student whose primary language is not English, and who is learning English.
Guided Language Acquisition Design (GLAD) - A teaching model designed for classrooms with English learners.
It uses a number of strategies to help students reach their grade level in academic subjects by integrating
charts, drawings, chants, rhymes, repetition, reading and writing into every subject.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) - A federal law signed by President George W. Bush in 2002 that is a
reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. NCLB requires increased
accountability in schools and allows parents greater flexibility in choosing schools.
Proposition 227 - A ballot measure titled "English for the Children." The campaign was spearheaded by
Ron Unz. California voters passed Prop 227 in June 1998. It requires English instruction in most
California public schools. Under the proposition, English Learners are enrolled in Sheltered English
Immersion programs not normally to exceed one year. Bilingual instruction can be provided for children
if their parents sign a waiver.
Redesignation or Reclassificiation - Changing the classification of a particular student from "English
learner" to "fluent English proficient" based on criteria set by the state and the individual school district.
Sheltered English Immersion or Structured English Immersion - An approach to teaching English Learners
using English as the primary language of instruction, with a curriculum designed for English Learners.
Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) - A teaching style designed for teaching
grade-level material in English to English learners. The goal is for students to acquire knowledge of
academic materials, and improve English skills at the same time. The program is intended for students
with intermediate English skills.
Links
- Community-Based English Tutoring (CBET)
- California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)
- California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC)
- California Department of Education
- Center for Applied Linguistics
- Coachella Valley Unified School District et al v. State of California
- Legislative Analyst Office - "Improving Services for Migrant Students"
- National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE)
- NCELA - National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs
- Parent Information and Resource Centers (PIRC)
- The California Master Plan for Education
- WestEd and AIR report on Proposition 227
- Project Glad
Staff
- Kathryn Baron, reporter
- Rori Gallagher, producer/researcher
- Victoria Mauleon, producer
- Ingrid Becker, series editor
- Raul Ramirez, executive producer
- Alex Porcaro, online editor
- Ceil Muller, Paul Lancour and Danny Bringer, technical engineers
Underwriting
Research support for The California Report series "The Language of Learning" was provided through a University of
Maryland Journalism Fellowship in Child and Family Policy, funded by the Foundation for Child Development.
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