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Multistate Association for Bilingual Education, Northeast

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RESEARCH On EFFECTIVENESS 

The Facts (Dual Language Education for a Transformed World by W. P. Thomas & V. P. Collier, 2012)

  • All programs for ELs that close more than the first half of the achievement gap in English, include first language support - TBE and DLBE programs.
  • ELs in short-term English programs score lowest on English reading test.
  • ELs in longer-term English programs score better, but do not close the achievement gap. 
  • ELs in long-term programs where content instruction is delivered in two languages - the students first language and a partner language - surpass all students studying monolingually in general education.
  • The program model, especially the amount of first language support, has the strongest effect on achievement for students of low SES background with no initial English proficiency.
  • Only DLBE programs, implemented with fidelity, allow ELs to score as high or higher than typical native English speakers after 6 - 8 years of schooling when assessed on the English Reading test.


DLBE is Backed by Research

Compared with their peers in English-only or early-exit bilingual programs, ELs in DLBE… 

  • have higher reading outcomes (Steele et al., 2017)
  • have higher English Language Arts test scores (Rolstad, Mahoney, & Glass, 2005; Umansky & Reardon, 2014; Valentino & Reardon, 2015)
  • achieve at similar or higher levels academically (Rolstad, Mahoney, & Glass, 2005; Lindholm-Leary & Genesee, 2014; Umansky & Reardon, 2014; Valentino & Reardon, 2015)
  • have higher EL reclassification rates  (Rolstad, Mahoney, & Glass, 2005; Umansky & Reardon, 2014; Valentino & Reardon, 2015; Steele et al., 2017)
  • attain proficiency by grade 5-7 (if not sooner) despite an initial lag in early Elementary (MacSwan & Pray, 2005; Lindholm-Leary & Genesee, 2014)
  • have higher English proficiency (Rolstad, Mahoney, & Glass, 2005; Umansky & Reardon, 2014; Valentino & Reardon, 2015)
  • are more likely to complete high school (Lindholm-Leary & Genesee, 2014)
  • are more likely to take AP courses (Lindholm-Leary & Genesee, 2014)
  • are more likely to have positive attitudes toward school (Lindholm-Leary & Genesee, 2014)

    DLBE Serves Other Groups (Validating the Power of Bilingual Schooling: Thirty-Two Years of Large-Scale, Longitudinal Research by V. P. Collier & W. P. Thomas, 2017)

    • Non-EL Language minority students
    • Caucasian students
    • Low-income students
    • Students with disabilities (all outperformed peers in the same category who were not in DLBE)
    • African American students of low income (by DLBE middle school were two grades ahead of their African American peers of low income not in DLBE)

    More Sources: 

    • Lindholm-Leary, K. & Block, N. (2010). Achievement in predominantly low SES/Hispanic dual language schools. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 13(1), 43-60.
    • Lindholm-Leary, K. & Genesee, F. (2014). Student outcomes in one-way, two-way, and indigenous language immersion education. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education, 2(2), 165-180.
    • MacSwan, J. & Pray, L. (2005). Learning English bilingually: Age of onset of exposure and rate of acquisition among English Language Learners in a bilingual education program. Bilingual Research Journal, 29(3), pp. 653-730.
    • Rolstad, K., Mahoney, K. & Glas, G.V. (2005). The big picture: A meta-analysis of program effectiveness research on English Language Learners. Educational Policy, 19(4), 572-594.
    • Steele, J., Slater, R.O., Zamarro, G., Miller, T., Li, J., Burkhauser, S., & Bacon, M. (2017). Effects of dual-language immersion programs on student achievement: Evidence from lottery data. American Educational Research Journal, 52(15), 2825-3065.
    • Umansky, I. & Reardon, S. (2014). Reclassification patterns among Latino English learner students in bilingual, dual immersion, and English immersion classrooms. American Educational Research Journal, 51(5), 879-912.
    • Valentino, R.A. & Reardon, S.F. (2015). Effectiveness of four instructional programs designed to serve English Learners: Variation by ethnicity and initial English proficiency. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 37(4), 612-637.

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