Bamboozled by Good Intentions

It seems that the more I delve into the topic of Bilingual education and its role in helping language minority students acquire English, the more I feel that we were bamboozled into accepting the "gato por liebre"(they gave us a cat instead of a rabbit--the saying doesn't translate very well...sorry!) exchange. In 1998, being a young, misinformed voter, I bought into the let's teach them more English so they'll learn more English hype of Prop. 227. It seemed to make sense to me. We were duped into believing that by providing primary language instruction we were somehow undermining the opportunities the children of immigrants had to experience the American way of life. If they never learned English, they would never have a solid chance in the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness guaranteed to all who dwell on American soil.
James Crawford (1997) explains that the public's focus was diverted from debating what is good for students, to debating about whether or not the public should be for, or against bilingual education. Over a million students in California alone fell destitute, destined to inherit a future replete with poverty in academics and life. Now, ten years later, one need only to read the daily headlines explaining that large numbers of language minority students are either dropping out of school, or are lining up in larger numbers than other groups to receive their bogus certificates of completion because they can't pass the CAHSEE. It is evident that bilingual education was not the universal educational panacea that legislators had gambled on, but it was a step in the right direction; it was and still can be good for students.
That being said, I'm announcing that my A.R. project's focus has changed somewhat. Now, it will revolve around a unit I will develop and implement using bilingual songs, poems, and literature and its effect on English acquisition. I feel this leans more towards the emphasis of this program by addressing the multicultural and social justice aspects we've studied over the last two semesters. Even though the change means a lot more work for me, I feel that it will lead to greater things for me and my students.

Welcome

Hello to all in Bloggerland and welcome to my site. This site is dedicated to describe my action research (A.R.) project for the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program at CSU, Fresno. My A.R. project will investigate the effects of music, particularly singing, in developing reading fluency for English Learners (ELs). My subjects will be my fourth, fifth, and sixth grade student in Atwater, California.