Bilingual Kids Outperforming English-Only, Local Educators Say

“There is ample research to show that learning a second language increases a student's cognitive abilities and improves their academic achievement. Our ELL (English Language Learners) students who become fluent in the English language often perform higher academically than their monolingual counterparts.” 

That’s what Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Kenneth M. Young said Thursday when he delivered his 2012 Riverside County State of Education Address to nearly 400 education, business and community leaders at the Riverside Convention Center. (Portions of the superintendent's address were released to the media Thursday. Video of the address is expected to be posted on the Riverside County Office of Education website shortly.)

Young's words come at a time when roughly 15 percent of Lake Elsinore Unified School District students are English Learners -- and the majority are becoming bilingual, according to data from the California Department of Education.

During the 2010-11 school year, 3,747 or 91 percent of LEUSD students whose primary language was Spanish are “Fluent English Proficient,” the data show.

More than 90 percent of LEUSD students whose primary language is other than English are native Spanish speakers.

Students are considered Fluent English Proficient when their primary language is other than English and they have met the district criteria for proficiency, according to a California Department of Education definition.

During Thursday’s address, Young made the case that bilingual students have a jump on kids who only have one language.

“In most other developed countries, children are taught more than one language from Kindergarten through high school,” he said, noting that in the United States “we largely withhold second language instruction, other than English, until a student enters high school — when it's generally more difficult to learn a second language than in elementary grades.”

To help students of any native language become bilingual, the LEUSD is currently offering a pilot program at Railroad Canyon Elementary School called Dual Immersion. It launched this school year and aims to teach students to read and write in both English and Spanish, beginning with Kindergarten.

The optional program is open to students regardless of primary language. For Railroad Canyon kids whose native language is other than Spanish or English, they have an opportunity to become trilingual through the program.

In an interview with Patch last year regarding the Dual Immersion pilot, Railroad Canyon principal Jeri Peterson said, “Research shows that they (bilingual students) outperform monolingual kids.”

Helping students become more internationally competitive is a goal at the LEUSD, according to district officials. The district’s new Mission Statement that was incorporated into its recently adopted Strategic Plan reads: “Through a shared commitment with our community, we ensure rigorous, relevant, and globally competitive opportunities for each student in a supportive learning environment.”

When drafting the language last year, LEUSD Superintendent Dr. Frank Passarella explained that the district must prepare its students for all opportunities.

“Many kids end up working outside the U.S.," he said.