I often lie awake at night thinking to myself, “If more people knew about the benefits of Dual Language Education (DLE) for ALL students, expanding programs would be a no-brainer and finding the funds wouldn’t be an excuse, it would be a must-do!”

In my work as a DLE advocate in the city where I live (and working toward the state level) as well as in my role as a consultant with individuals and districts across the U.S., I often find myself sharing tips on how to advocate for the support of DLE for all.

Today’s blog is meant to do just that: Help you find the words that fit your context and your passion behind why Dual Language Education is important so that you can be one of the voices in your school, your district, your state, and across our country. Every child deserves to have the opportunity to be bilingual and biliterate! In many school districts, it is up to the voices of educators and informed parents to make that opportunity a reality.

Whether it is your goal to start a new program, expand dual language to more elementary schools in your district, continue dual language at the middle and high school levels, or change state legislation to support DLE, it is important that your goal and message are clear – and that they are supported by research. Fortunately, when it comes to DLE, there is ample research to support the fact that dual language education is beneficial for ALL students when the program is well-implemented and robust. I’ll provide some resources for you in the talking points below.

In addition, when considering your message, think beyond the child in your own home or one certain group of students. If you emphasize the (all true!) benefits of DLE for ALL students, your message will more likely be heard. Remember that the people in charge of making these changes and who have the final say on these decisions must represent what is best for the students they serve – and that means everyone!

The following list of suggested talking points will be more powerful if they are embedded in your own personal story and context. They are not meant to be taken as a list to submit. Instead, think about which points back up the message you want to communicate.

Please share in the comments the journey of your advocacy! We love to hear the stories of colleagues forging similar paths. Or if you have additional research to share, we would all appreciate it.

¡Adelante!

I have linked the research, articles, and publications, when possible, in the works cited.

Points to consider sharing with all stakeholders:

• The bilingual brain has many advantages that include^{3, 4, 6, 19}:

• • Enhanced cognitive benefits: Ability to classify and develop analytic reasoning
  • Enhanced visual spatial benefits
  • Has enhanced cognitive benefits: Ability to classify and develop analytic reasoning
  • Has enhanced visual spatial benefits
  • Has increased abilities to focus: executive functioning (know how to prioritize, select the right language for the right context)
  • Develops deeper critical thinking and problem solving than the monolingual brain
  • Shows strong creativity skills
• Being bilingual physically changes your brain.  Neuroplasticity is real.²
• Bilingualism has been shown to delay the onset of Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (4+ years)⁹
• People who are bilingual have faster stroke recovery¹⁶
• Bilinguals have lower stress levels
• Being bilingual has certain cognitive benefits and boosts the performance of the brain, specifically in the executive control system. The effects are greatest for people who had to use their bilingualism every day.²

Points to consider sharing with administrators and district decision-makers:

• Research shows that participants in dual language programs are more likely to stay in school than students from other programs and that most participants also plan to attend college.¹³
• When students feel good about who they are, and they see themselves reflected in the academic setting, they do better in school.⁷
• School districts can ultimately save money by utilizing teachers who have their ESL endorsement as a teacher in the bilingual program, thus eliminating the need for a separate ESL teacher.²²
• Research shows “the development of advanced levels of language competence, in a primary or second language, is most successful when it occurs in conjunction with meaningful, important, and authentic communication. In school settings, this can be communication about academic subjects….”⁷
• Thomas and Collier (2002, 2010, 2017) found the long-term achievement of English Language Learners (ELLs) proves that dual language education is the most effective means by which those English Learners are able to achieve at or above that of their native English-speaking peers on English reading achievement by the time they graduate high school, and that the gap begins to close around grade 6.⁸
• For students classified as ELLs, “…students who achieve full oral and literate (reading and writing) proficiency in both languages had higher achievement scores, GPAs, and educational expectations than their monolingual English-speaking peers.”^{11, 17}
• For students classified as ELLs: In no case did positive results from an English-only literacy program exceed those from a bilingual program.^{10, 26}
• For Students Classified as Long-Term ELLs (LTELLs): Programs that focused on biliteracy development in English and Spanish, and on the implementation of explicit academic language and literacy instruction across all subject areas are promising in meeting the needs of LTELLs because they build on their linguistic resources to help them develop academic literacy skills.²¹
• All groups of dual language students score higher. Students in dual language programs score higher on state and national tests than students who are attending any other type of program.⁸
• All dual language groups outscore their comparison-group peers not in dual language – including⁸:
  • English learners
  • Native English speakers
  • Latinos
  • Caucasian Americans
  • Asian Americans
  • African Americans
  • Students of low-income background
  • Students identified as qualifying for Title I
  • Students with special education needs of all categories of exceptionality

Points to consider sharing with parents and families:

• Research shows that participants in dual language programs are more likely to stay in school than students from other programs and that most participants also plan to attend college.¹³
• Being bilingual has travel benefits as people who are bilingual can communicate with more of the world and often have an appreciation for multiculturalism²⁹
• Social opportunities are greater for bilinguals as they have the ability to connect with a social group beyond one’s own³⁰
• Bilinguals are less affected by changes in the environment
• Bilinguals have been shown to be more open-minded
• Bilingualism is highly valued in the workplace^{12, 20, 28}
• Students who are bilingual have the potential to achieve the Seal of Biliteracy upon high school graduation (in some states)
• Students who learn in two languages have a cognitive edge in creativity and metalinguistic awareness, enhanced cross-cultural understanding, and an educational and career edge.¹⁵
• For students classified as English Language Learners (ELLs), “…students who achieve full oral and literate (reading and writing) proficiency in both languages had higher achievement scores, GPAs, and educational expectations than their monolingual English-speaking peers.” ^{11, 17}
• For students classified as ELLs: In no case did positive results from an English-only literacy program exceed those from a bilingual program. ^{10, 26}
• Knowing two languages makes it easier to learn more languages¹
• “Effective biliteracy instruction enables bilingual learners to use reading, writing, listening, and speaking for a wide range of purposes in two languages.”⁵
  • Biliteracy instruction develops students’ bilingual identities by recognizing and supporting the bilingual development process.
• Children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI)
  • Young children with SLI learning two languages at the same time do not demonstrate any greater difficulties in their two languages, as compared to monolingual children with SLI. Simultaneous bilingual children with SLI demonstrate the same challenges as monolingual children with SLI, but not any extra burden or difficulties.^{18, 24, 25}
• Children with Down Syndrome
  • A study comparing children with Down Syndrome being raised in bilingual homes with monolingual children with Down syndrome found that the bilingual children performed at least as well as the monolingual children with Down Syndrome (in their dominant language or language of greater exposure). Therefore, negative effects of bilingualism were not found.¹⁴
• Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • The vocabularies of English-Chinese bilingual children with ASD and monolingual children with ASD were compared in a study. The authors concluded that bilingualism did not have a negative effect on the children’s language development, as both groups had similar vocabulary scores.²³

WORKS CITED

Articles, research, publications, and texts cited:

1. Bartolotti J, Marian V. Language learning and control in monolinguals and bilinguals. Cognitive science. 2012;36(6):1129–1147. [PMC free article][PubMed] [Google Scholar] [Ref list]
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3. Bialystok E, Craik FI, Luk G. Bilingualism: consequences for mind and brain. Trends Cogn Sci. 2012 Apr;16(4):240-50. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2012.03.001. PMID: 22464592; PMCID: PMC3322418.
4. Bialystok, E., Craik, F. I. M., Green, D. W., & Gollan, T. H. (2009). Bilingual Minds. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 10(3), 89–129. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100610387084
5. Beeman, K., & Urow, C. (2013). Teaching for biliteracy : strengthening bridges between languages. Caslon Publishing.
6. Carlson SM, Meltzoff AN. Bilingual experience and executive functioning in young children. Developmental Science. 2008;11(2):282–298. [PMC free article][PubMed] [Google Scholar] [Ref list]
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8. Collier, V. P., & Thomas, W. P. (2017). Validating the power of bilingual schooling: Thirty-two years of large-scale, longitudinal research. Annual review of applied linguistics, 37, 203-217.
9. Craik, FI., Bialystok, E., & Freedman, M. (2010) Delaying the onset of Alzheimer disease: Bilingualism as a form of cognitive reserve.  Neurology, 75 (19), 1726-1729.
10. Escamilla, K. (2014). Biliteracy from the start : literacy squared in action. Caslon Publishing.
11. Genesee, F., & Al, E. (2008). Educating English language learners : a synthesis of research evidence. Cambridge University Press
12. 13.  Group, U. L. (n.d.). The Benefits of Bilingualism in Business. Www.unitedlanguagegroup.com. Retrieved December 16, 2023, from https://www.unitedlanguagegroup.com/blog/benefits-bilingualism-business#:~:text=Higher%20Salary%20with%20Bilingualism
13. 14.  Howard, E. R., Sugarman, J., Perdomo, M., & Carolyn Temple Adger. (2005). The Two-Way Immersion Toolkit  ERIC Number: ED491612
14. Kay-Raining Bird, E., Cleave, P., Trudeau, N., Thordardottir, E., Sutton, A. & Thorpe, A. (2005). The language abilities of bilingual children with Down Syndrome. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 14, 187-199.
15. King, K., & Mackey, A. (2009). The Bilingual Edge. Harper Collins.
16. Knapton, S. (2015, November 19). Bilingual people twice as likely to recover from a stroke. Telegraph.co.uk. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/12005837/Bilingual-people-twice-as-likely-to-recover-from-a-stroke.html
17. Lindholm-Leary, Kathryn. (2012). Success And Challenges In Dual Language Education. Theory into Practice. 51. 256-262. 10.2307/23362831.
18. Lowry Hanen, Lauren. Can children with language impairments learn two languages?(n.d.). Www.hanen.org. https://www.hanen.org/helpful-info/articles/can-children-with-language-impairments-learn-two-l.aspx
19. Marian V, Shook A. The cognitive benefits of being bilingual. Cerebrum. 2012 Sep;2012:13. Epub 2012 Oct 31. PMID: 23447799; PMCID: PMC3583091.
20. Mehdi Lazar. (2018, June 7). The Bilingual Advantage in the Global Workplace | Language Magazine. Languagemagazine.com. https://www.languagemagazine.com/2018/06/07/the-bilingual-advantage-in-the-global-workplace/
21. ?? Menken, K., & Kleyn, T. (2010). The long-term impact of subtractive schooling in the educational experiences of secondary English language learners. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 13(4), 399–417. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050903370143
22. New Study Examines Costs of Dual Language Immersion Programs. (2019). New America. https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/new-study-examines-costs-dual-language-immersion-programs/
23. Petersen, J., Marinova-Todd, S.H, & Mirenda, P. (2011). An exploratory study of lexical skills in bilingual children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-011-1366-y.
24. Paradis, J. (2010). The interface between bilingual development and specific language impairment. Applied Psycholinguistics, 31, 227-252.
25. Paradis, J., Crago, M., Genesee F., & Rice, M. (2003). Bilingual children with specific language impairment: How do they compare with their monolingual peers? Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 46, 1-15.
26. Slavin, R. E., & Cheung, A. (2005). A Synthesis of Research on Language of Reading Instruction for English Language Learners. Review of Educational Research, 75(2), 247–284. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543075002247
27. Stavely, Z. (n.d.). Dual-immersion programs show promise in fighting enrollment declines. EdSource. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://edsource.org/2022/dual-immersion-programs-show-promise-in-fighting-enrollment-declines/677296
28. UEI College . (2017, August 17). Can Speaking Two Languages Increase Your Job Prospects?UEI College; UEI. https://www.uei.edu/blog/can-speaking-two-languages-increase-your-job-prospects/
29. 30.  Ugo, J. (2021, November 5). The Benefits Of Language While Traveling. ReDefiners WL. https://www.redefinerswl.org/post/the-benefits-of-language-while-traveling
30. Why Choose Bilingualism?(n.d.). Www.eb.org. Retrieved December 16, 2023, from https://www.eb.org/bilingual-programs/why-choose-bilingualism#:~:text=Social%20Adeptness