Two Languages Are Better Than OneTwo Languages Are Better Than One
LOWELL L. BRUBAKER · Contemporary Psychology · 2005
Dual language programs help native and nonnative speakers of English speak two languages proficiently—and they do so in cost-effective ways that lead to high academic achievement for all students. Wayne P. Thomas and Virginia P. Collier Among the underachieving youth in U.S. schools, students with no proficiency in English must overcome enormous equity gaps, school achievement tests in English show. Over the past three decades, schools have developed a wide range of programs to serve these English learners. After much experimentation, U.S. schools now have clear achievement data that point to the most powerful models of effective schooling for English learners. What is astounding is that these same programs are also dynamic models for school reform for all students. Imagine how the 21st century will look. Our world will surely be in constant change, for we are facing this pattern now. The predictions of the near future also depict an interconnected world, with global travel and instant international communications. Right now, many U.S. businesses