STATISTICS ABOUT BILINGUAL STUDENTS
Over half the world’s population is bilingual or multilingual
More than 180 languages are spoken across the state of Washington
More than 1 in 3 first graders in South Seattle and South King County is an ELL student
Bilingualism is extremely common – & rising! In the United States, 21% of school-age children (between ages 5-17) speak a language other than English at home.
THE ADVANTAGES OF BILINGUALISM
*Bilingual students are better able to ignore distraction and focus their attention.
Sources: Canadian Council on Learning (2008). Parlez-vous français? The advantages of bilingualism in Canada. Available online: http://www.ccl-cca.ca/pdfs/LessonsInLearning/Oct-16-08-The-advantages-of-bilingualism.pdf and Poulin-Dubois, D., Blaye, A., Coutya, J & Bialystok, E. (2011). The effects of bilingualism on toddlers’ executive functioning. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 108 (3), 567-579
Related: Bilingualism correlates to better inhibitory and attentional abilities (Barac et al. 2014)
*Bilingual students are more creative and better at planning and problem solving than monolinguals
Sources: Center for Applied Linguistics. Benefits of being bilingual. Available online: http://www.cal.org/earlylang/benefits/marcos.html. Also: Paradis, J., Genesee, F., & Crago, M. (2011). Dual Language Development and Disorders: A handbook on bilingualism & second language learning. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
*Bilingualism leads to stronger identity: positive effects of self-concept, self-esteem, ethnic identification and tolerance, and development of children’s native linguistic resources (Rolstad, 2000)
HOW BILINGUAL STUDENTS PERFORM IN SCHOOL
*Bilingual students retain cultural pride when we recognize their language knowledge as an important personal asset
*A child can succeed in learning English whether or not it is the spoken language at home. There is no evidence that the second language, the language they are trying to learn, needs to be used at home in order for them to learn that language (such as English).
Source: Paradis, J., Genesee, F., & Crago, M. (2011). Dual Language Development and Disorders: A handbook on bilingualism & second language learning. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
*Maintaining home language may make it easier for students to acquire English.
Research shows that children who have a strong foundation in their home language more easily learn a second language.
*Receiving credits made students confident about being bilingual. Most students agreed that receiving credits gave them confidence in their bilingual ability and made them feel like “the language is really useful.” The program motivated students to improve their language skills or to learn a new one, and for some students it created a stronger sense of connection to their previous life experiences and with their parents and family members. (Source: Credit for Proficiency The Impact of the Road Map World Language Credit Program on Student Attitudes Toward Bilingualism and School October 2014, Jason Greenberg Motamedi, Ph.D. and Zafreen Jaffery, Ed.D.
http://www.k12.wa.us/WorldLanguages/RoadMap/Road_Map_Credit_for_Proficiency_Report.pdf
IMPORTANT NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR BILINGUAL STUDENTS
*Home language speakers can now earn high school credits toward graduation for their home language fluency, testing for World Language Credits or receiving a Seal of Biliteracy on their diploma and transcript.
*Biliteracy programs are beneficial for student graduation and college goals.
One in five (21%) students who participated in the World Language Credit program needed their competency-based world language credits to graduate high school
One in ten (10%) students who participated in the World Language Credit program needed the competency-based credits to be eligible to attend a four-year college. (Source: http://www.k12.wa.us/WorldLanguages/RoadMap/EducationNorthwest-ImpactofCompetencyBasedCredits.pdf)
*Bilingual students may experience increased career success: bilingual workers are in higher demand than ever before, in a wide range of industries.
