From 1996-98, the Tenants’ and Workers’ Support Committee (TWSC) formed an education committee to study how they could influence the public schools that served the low-income, minority community.  In 1999 the representative of the education committee proposed to the school board, the establishment of a dual language program in a school with 98% minority enrollment.  The dual language program was proposed as a ‘model education program’ designed to maintain and develop the first language of the language minority children (Spanish) and teach a second language to the native English speakers.  Research by Collier and Thomas, Krashen and Cummins was quoted as a reason for the school board to support the establishment of this program in a failing elementary school.  The school board passed the proposal and in 2000, the dual language program began as a research-based intervention to help language minority and low-income children be successful in the elementary school.

     A research-based approach does not guarantee research outcomes.  Research shows that a dual language program is effective in teaching elementary children language skills as well as the curriculum (Collier & Thomas, 2002; Krashen,1999; Cummins, 2001).  But, just because it is a research-based approach, does not mean that the program will be successful in every case. There are practical influences on the program that will show up in the classroom. Influences include cultural and sociological factors, the way the parents view the program, the background of the families involved in the program and attitudes toward the program at the school as well as the way that the school administrators understand the research-based design of a dual language program.  The way a program is interpreted and implemented at a school and classroom levels, depends on many practical considerations and the interaction among those who provide input into the program. 

      This paper will look at the research on why a dual language program was chosen for this community school and then look at the way the program is functioning in the school. By looking at the research-based design and then at the implementation in the classroom, we can find what some of the factors or filters are, that influence deviation from the design in the delivery of instruction.

     In looking at why dual language is a viable option for teaching English language learners, multicultural education research lends important concepts. Multicultural education stresses the need for schools to validate the background, including home language, of the students (Banks, 2003; Cummins, 2001; Nieto, 2000).  When minority students are comfortable in their learning environment, their academic performance will improve (Diaz-Rico,2000; Valdez, 2001).

     Second language acquisition research also confirms the importance of validating and building on the home language when possible.  When the home language is strengthened and used as a base for teaching English language concepts, students learn English more quickly than if they are taught solely in English with no home language support (Collier & Thomas, 2002; Cloud, Genesee, Hamayan, 2000; Krashen, 1999).  When the home language is used in content instruction, students are able to learn the curriculum as they learn English. Academic skills in the home language will transfer to English, giving the students access to academic English more readily than English-only instruction (Cummins, 2001).

     In the list of program options that use the home language, research shows that a dual language approach has long-term results that other bilingual approaches do not show (Collier & Thomas, 2002).  Dual language program design has specific elements that differentiate it from other bilingual programs (Cloud et al, 2000; Lessow-Hurley, 2005; Lindholm, 1999).  These elements include the bases for strong multicultural education (validation of the background of the student, including home language) and second language acquisition (building on the home language).

      When we look at the three areas of multicultural education, second language acquisition and dual language program design, we can see a strong research base which supports the establishment of teaching language minority students using the home language in order to learn English and to access the curriculum.

     Why then, with a well-researched program that has been shown to have positive, long term academic results for English language learners, does the program change when it is implemented in the classroom?  In order to look at implementation influences we have to consider cultural, sociological and organizational issues. And, while looking at those areas, there might surface other situations or concepts that serve as filters between what the research proposes and what the school implements.

     Cultural issues surface because dual language programs, by their nature, deal with two cultural groups and their ideas towards parental roles in their children’s education. Dual language programs try to support the learning of both a dominant language that is validated in society and a minority language that might have pejorative connotations outside of school (Banks, 2003; Freeman, Freeman & Mercuri, 2005; Lessow-Hurley, 2005).  One of the goals of a dual language program is cultural acceptance and understanding of the cultural input from both target groups (Cloud et al, 2000). So teachers and administrators need to be aware of the interactions between the two cultural groups to make sure of mutual respect. Lack of respect toward the minority group can cause asymmetry in the way the program is delivered (Amrein & Pena).

     Sociological issues such as economic level, literacy levels of the two groups need to be considered as influences that can play out in the classroom. The importance that parents give to education and the passing of standardized tests in English, can influence one group to try to exert pressure on the teachers to teach important concepts in English and let the minority language be used for less academic purposes (Lessow-Hurley, 2005).

     Organizational issues inside the school need to be considered.  Cloud et al (2000) point out how important it is when introducing a dual language program in a school to educated the entire staff about the goals and objectives of the program. In that way, the program becomes a part of the school rather than a school within a school. When it is seen as part of the overall operation of the school then the allocation of resources is better understood as well as the probably need to recruit bilingual teachers from outside the system (Freeman et al, 2005). 

      Another organizational component is the school leadership and its commitment to the dual language program.  Strong and consistent leadership is required for the success of a dual language program because the program has to be long term in order to achieve the language acquisition goals (Collier & Thomas, 2002).  A dedicated leader will need to support and promote the program’s need for funding on the long term.  Strong leadership is needed to monitor the implementation so that it doesn’t deviate from research-based design.

      What happens in the dual language classroom might also be influenced by factors such as the changing demographics of the neighborhood. This might affect the minority-majority language ratio.  Another factor to investigate could be the training or experience of the teachers in the program. Since dual language programs make up less than 3% of programs for English language learners (Crawford, 1999), many teachers who teach in a dual language program, were trained to teach in another kind of bilingual program like a transitional approach.  The teachers themselves might not have a firm understanding of the goals of a dual language program.

      In summary, a research-based approach to improve minority student achievement in a failing school was begun in a community school four years ago. In the implementation of the program, the research-based design was influenced by practical considerations and other cultural, sociological and organizational factors.  In order to understand how the program functions in the school, we need to look at the researched design of the program and then at the way it appears in the classrooms and investigate the filters or factors that have influenced deviation from what the literature has determined is an effective program design.  Graphically, the following design is the first attempt to illustrate the process.
(diagram did not import)
 

References
Amrein & Pena (looking for the article)

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Cloud, N., Genesee, F., & Hamayan, E. (2000).  Dual language instruction: A handbook for
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Collier, V. & Thomas, W. (2002). A National study of school effectiveness for language
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Education, Diversity & Excellence/Center for Applied Linguistics. Washington, DC. 

Crawford, J. (1999). Bilingual education: History, politics, theory and practice. 4th
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Cummins, J. (2000).  Language, Power and Pedagogy: Bilingual children in the
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Diaz-Rico, L. & Weed, W. (2002). The Crosscultural, Language, and AcademicDevelopment 
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Freeman,Y., Freeman, D., & Mercuri, S. (2005). Dual language essentials for teachers
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Krashen, S. (1999) Bilingual education: Arguments for and (bogus) arguments against.
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Lessow-Hurley, J.( 2005). The Foundations of dual language instruction 4th ed.
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Lindholm, K. (1999) Dual language education: Educational success for students
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Valdes, G. (2001). Learning and not learning English: Latino students in
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