McKay School of Education > News > McKay Today Magazine > Education in a Changing World

Role Models and Families

Demographics in the United States have changed dramatically in the last 30 years, and those changes are mirrored in its schools. Students enter the U.S., where the language and culture are new and the need to learn is great. Besides taking a language class, how do newcomers learn the language with all of its nuances? They learn and practice with their family and friends, they teach others, and they discover a personal need and desire to use their new language.

Latinos in Action
Latinos in Action is a proactive program that recruits Hispanic youth to work with younger students to promote education and positive community involvement. Hispanic high school students serve as mentors and tutors to elementary students (primarily, but not limited to, Hispanic children) who are struggling with language skills and academics.
There are more applications than spots available in the Latinos in Action program, even though there are stringent requirements. One must be fluent in two languages, be thriving academically, be a good citizen, and be willing to act as a worthy role model. On the days they are not at the elementary school, these high school students attend a service-learning class where they learn that new citizens have freedoms and opportunities in a democracy and that even though there are challenges and disappointments, they can overcome obstacles and achieve success through hard work and effort. They have learned that education will help them achieve their goals and that it is powerful to be bilingual. They become effective teachers and even more compelling role models.
The Latinos in Action mentors teach their younger friends that they must discover who they are and what their role is in their community. They point out opportunities that are open to their mentees, they answer questions, they tutor, and they help with language—understanding that oral language is the cornerstone of literacy development.
The program benefits all who are involved. The Latinos in Action program, which is an excellent example of service-learning, can be a powerful agent for change. As high school students serve and help others learn and progress, they are expanding their own education and understanding. All participants are better prepared for life.

Family Literacy Centers
It has been said that individuals who immigrate as adults have a harder time assimilating into a new culture than their children do, that one generation must sacrifice for another. Experienced educators are reaching out to these parents by establishing family literacy centers in communities with high numbers of English language learners and providing opportunities for individuals and families to learn to communicate and navigate in their newly adopted community. These centers promote literacy and academic achievement for students and families, assisting them in understanding the American education system and their part in it. They facilitate English language acquisition for adults through multilevel English classes. Some centers offer parenting and community resource classes and computer literacy courses. Many practical subjects are covered in adult classes, such as procedures for visiting doctors and dentists, attending parent-teacher conferences, checking on a child’s progress in school, or discussing gang problems.
These family literacy centers report high interest and consistent adult attendance, due in part to the interest of the children. The children keep the adults connected. Many parents report that learning with their peers takes away some of the reluctance and embarrassment they might feel in a regular class setting. While parents attend classes, school-aged children are receiving help with homework or playing educational games on the computer with a teacher nearby. Child care is provided, but as they play, the youngest family members are receiving instruction too.
Family literacy centers often assign homework in which parents are asked to play vocabulary games with their children and reinforce what has been taught. As these dedicated parents progress, their confidence grows and they are more inclined to communicate with their children’s teachers and become involved in their children’s academic progress.
Dual Immersion
Dual immersion is a method of teaching two languages simultaneously by alternating them as the language of instruction.
Dual immersion programs are also referred to as two-way immersion, bilingual immersion, two-way bilingual, Spanish immersion (or another minority language being taught), or developmental bilingual education (a term used by the U.S. Department of Education). The first dual immersion program in the U.S. began in 1963. (For more information, see http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/FAQs.html.)
A dual immersion school offers students the opportunity to become bilingual and biliterate. Students can sign up in early elementary school or later in the upper grades. Half of the school day is spent in one language and the other half in a second language. All subjects are taught in both languages, but each language is used exclusively during its designated instructional block. Teachers must be proficient in the language they use for instruction. Many are proficient in both. There are dual immersion classes across the nation and all over the world that report exceptionally successful results.
Along with learning a new language, students are exposed to a new culture and gain a better understanding of different people of the world and their perspectives. Their knowledge of the world expands as their vocabulary does.
Researchers have asked parents what motivated them to send their children to a dual immersion school to become part of this integrated setting. Some minority parents send their children because it is their neighborhood school, but others want their children involved because their heritage is valued and taught there. Native English-speaking parents say they value bilingualism, multiculturalism, and diversity, and they want their children to be immersed in an environment that shares that perspective.

Language Unites Us
Children of Migrant Workers School districts are accountable for all children regardless of their economic status. This includes the children of migrants, who have their education frequently interrupted due to the seasonal nature of their parents’ work. Some districts offer summer school classes as a time for review, catch-up, and reinforcement. ESL teachers are part of the summer faculty, providing the consistency of language development to these students.
Bilingual Model United Nations The Model United Nations, an authentic simulation of the United Nations system, engages students in current issues and provides them an opportunity to practice the rules of procedure. Through participating in the Model UN, students learn and practice the skills of debate, compromise, negotiation, and conflict resolution. Students involved in a bilingual Model UN experience additional benefits as part of their preparation involves increasing their vocabulary and level of fluency in their second language.
International Clubs International clubs bring together people of different races and cultures. English, the common language, is a unifying factor. Through these organizations, club members learn about other cultures, gain new friends, and provide acts of service to their school and community. A student in an international club comments, “Being part of this club has taught me important lessons about different cultures and the barriers that separate them. By working together and becoming friends, everybody in the club was able to bring down those barriers of prejudice.” By getting to know each other, students are able to see not only differences but also similarities between groups of people. They work to bring unity between individuals and become examples of unity for others. Although many clubs have chapters of specific cultures, they meet as one group for the benefit of all. Says another club member, “My club is important because it creates a sense of stability and a sense of security for the people who are part of it. The International Club is about coming into the club as different people and going out of it as one.”