From 1998 to 2011 results of the National Assessment of
Educational Progress show a gap of about 40 points between the reading
achievement of emergent bilinguals and English-proficient students in the
fourth, eighth, and 12th grades.
The researchers of this article point out that researchers often focus
on a single component of literacy, such as vocabulary development, when they
should instead look to the following question for guidance and direction: “What
programs and strategies work with which emergent bilinguals in what context,
and under what conditions?” This strategy
takes a look at the complex relationships between bilingualism and the
development of literacy. It considers
the contexts, media and content of literacy development. Topics include; transforming power
relationships in literacy instruction; language of Instruction; program models
that support bilingualism and biliteracy; and home-school collaboration;
This article reinforces what research has shown for years about
the benefits of developing literacy skills in both languages among bilingual
students (bilingualism and biliteracy). In
traditional ESL programs, beginning English learners are asked to begin reading
in a language they do not yet understand and speak. Native-language instruction can more effective
since beginning English learners can learn to read and learn content at the
same time. The transfer of literacy
skills from one language to another will then occur more easily. Not all bilingual programs have as a goal to
promote true bilingualism and biliteracy however. In some programs students receive instruction
in the native language until students are ready to transition into an all
English program.
Ortiz and Fránquiz note that the choice in models a district
makes to support ELLs speaks volumes of their willingness to support (or not
support) bilingualism and biliteracy. Research
has shown for quite some time that dual language programs have a greater chance
of closing the achievement gaps between emergent bilinguals and non-ELL
students yet many schools rely on the English-as-a-second-language model in
which students get no support from the native language. In these cases, what schools can do is
encourage families to continue to build first language literacy skills at home
and through classes outside of school. School
libraries can stock books in other languages, and bilingual teachers can be
allowed to use their first language as a scaffold whenever possible.
Home-School Collaboration is another topic in this
article. According to the article,
research shows that even the slightest amount of parent involvement supports
student learning and behavior, regardless of socioeconomic factors and parent
education level. Schools can better
student achievement by involving parents in their children’s education. Schools can take it a step further by
incorporating the home-language and literacy contexts to ensure that curriculum
and instruction is “meaningful and culturally responsive.”
Fránquiz, M.E., Ortiz, A.A. (2014) Coeditors’ introduction: Closing literacy gaps: Understanding the interrelationships between bilingualism and biliteracy development. Bilingual Research Journal: The Journal of the National Association for Bilingual Education, 37:2, 113-119, DOI:
10.1080/15235882.2014.938579
Link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2014.938579