Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T08:23:27.708Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Challenging Linguistic Purism in Dual Language Bilingual Education: A Case Study of Hebrew in a New York City Public Middle School

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 September 2017

Kate Menken  and
Sharon Avni
Kate Menken
Affiliation:
City University of New York, Graduate Center and Queens [email protected]
Sharon Avni
Affiliation:
City University of New York, Borough of Manhattan Community [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs, in which students are taught language and academic content in English and a partner language, have dramatically grown in popularity in U.S. schools. Moving beyond the teaching of Spanish and Chinese, DLBE programs are now being offered in less commonly taught languages and attracting new student populations. Based on qualitative research conducted in a New York City public middle school that recently began a Hebrew DLBE program, we found that this program, in its inception and design, challenges traditional definitions of DLBE and offers new understandings about bilingual education for the 21st century. We argue that the policies and guidelines for the provision of DLBE and the scholarship upon which they are based are rooted in notions of linguistic purism that fail to consider or meet the needs of communities enrolling in bilingual education programs today.

Type
Research Article
Information
Annual Review of Applied Linguistics , Volume 37 , September 2017 , pp. 185 - 202
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Alanís, I., & Rodríguez, M. (2008). Sustaining a dual language immersion program: Features of success. Journal of Latinos and Education, 7 (4), 305–319.Google Scholar
Avni, S. (2012). Hebrew as heritage: The work of language in religious and communal continuity. Linguistics and Education, 23, 323–333.Google Scholar
Avni, S. (2015). The meanings of Hebrew: Defining bilingual education in dual language charter school education. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 18 (2), 188–202.Google Scholar
Avni, S., & Menken, K. (2012). Educating for Jewishness: The teaching and learning of Hebrew in day school education. In García, O., Zakharia, Z., & Octu, B. (Eds.), Bilingual community education and multilingualism (pp. 190–203). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Baker, C. (2011). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (5th ed.). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Brutt-Griffler, J., & Varghese, M. (2004). Introduction. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 7 (2&3), 93–101.Google Scholar
Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2011). Focus on multilingualism: A study of trilingual writing. The Modern Language Journal, 95 (3), 356–369.Google Scholar
Christian, D. (2011). Dual language education. In Hinkel, E. (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (Vol. 2, pp. 3–20). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Cummins, J. (2008). Teaching for transfer: Challenging the two solitudes assumption in bilingual education. In Cummins, J. & Hornberger, N. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of language and education: Vol. 5. Bilingual education (2nd ed., pp. 65–75). Boston, MA: Springer.Google Scholar
de Jong, E. & Bearse, C. (2012). Dual language programs as a strand within a secondary school: Dilemmas of school organization and the TWI mission. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 17 (1), 15–31.Google Scholar
Dorner, L. (2015). What is dual language education? Cambio Center eBrief. University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.Google Scholar
Freeman, Y., Freeman, D., & Mercuri, S. (2005). Dual language essentials for teachers and administrators. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.Google Scholar
García, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global perspective. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar
García, O., & Wei, Li (2014). Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism and education. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan Pivot.Google Scholar
García, O., Velasco, P., Menken, K., & Vogel, S. (forthcoming). Dual language bilingual education in New York City: A potential unfulfilled. In Arias, M. & Fee, M. (Eds.), Perspectives on dual language programs. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Gort, M., & Sembiante, S. (2015). Navigating hybridized language learning spaces through translanguaging pedagogy: Dual language preschool teachers’ languaging practices in support of emergent bilingual children's performance of academic discourse. International Multilingual Research Journal, 9 (1), 7–25.Google Scholar
Grosjean, F. (1989). Neurolinguists, beware! The bilingual is not two monolinguals in one person. Brain and Language, 36, 3–15.Google Scholar
Harris, E. (2015, October 8). Dual-language programs are on the rise, even for native English speakers. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/nyregion/dual-language-programs-are-on-the-rise-even-for-native-english-speakers.htmlGoogle Scholar
Howard, E., Sugarman, J., Christian, D., Lindholm-Leary, K., & Rogers, D. (2009). Guiding principles for dual language education. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.Google Scholar
Jacobsen, R., & Faltis, C. (Eds.). (1990). Language distribution issues in bilingual schooling. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
LeCompte, M., & Preissle, J. (1993). Ethnography and qualitative design in educational research (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Academic.Google Scholar
Lindholm-Leary, K. (2006). What are the most effective kinds of programs for English language learners? In Hamayan, E. & Freeman, R. (Eds.), English language learners at school (pp. 64–85). Philadelphia, PA: Caslon.Google Scholar
Lindholm-Leary, K. & Genessee, F. (2010). Alternative educational programs for English learners. In California Department of Education (Ed.), Improving education for English learners: Research-based approaches (pp. 323–382). Sacramento, CA: CDE Press.Google Scholar
Martínez, R., Hikida, M., & Durán, L. (2015). Unpacking ideologies of linguistic purism: How dual language teachers make sense of everyday translanguaging. International Multilingual Research Journal, 9 (1), 26–42.Google Scholar
Menken, K. (2008). English learners left behind: Standardized testing as language policy. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Menken, K. (2013). Restrictive language education policies and emergent bilingual youth: A perfect storm with imperfect outcomes. Theory into Practice, 52 (3), 160–168.Google Scholar
Menken, K., & Solorza, C. (2014). No child left bilingual: Accountability and the elimination of bilingual education programs in New York City schools. Educational Policy, 28 (1), 96–125.Google Scholar
Miles, M., Huberman, A., & Saldaña, J. (2013). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.Google Scholar
Myhill, J. (2004). Language in Jewish society: Towards a new understanding. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE). (2015a, December 3). Chancellor Fariña names 15 schools model dual language programs [Press release]. Retrieved from http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/mediarelations/NewsandSpeeches/2015-2016/Chancellor+Farina+Names+15+Schools+Model+Dual+Language+Programs.htmGoogle Scholar
New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE). (2015b). Checklist: Primary characteristics of model dual language programs. New York, NY: Author.Google Scholar
New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE). (2016, April 4). Chancellor Fariña announces 38 new bilingual programs [Press release]. Retrieved from http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/mediarelations/NewsandSpeeches/2015-2016/Chancellor+Farina+Announces+38+New+Bilingual+Programs.htmGoogle Scholar
New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE). (2017, February 28). Chancellor Fariña announces citywide bilingual expansion, bringing 68 new programs to schools this fall [Press release]. Retrieved from http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/mediarelations/NewsandSpeeches/2016-2017/BilingualExpansion.htmGoogle Scholar
New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), Division of English Language Learners and Student Support. (2016). English language learner demographics report: 2014–15 school year. Retrieved from http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/0183D51C-377B-4ED7-BCBE-607AE4669D54/0/201415ELLDemographicReport.pdfGoogle Scholar
New York State Education Department. (2011). New York City Department of Education's Part 154 corrective action plan for English language learners. Retrieved from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/docs/nycdoe-cap.htmlGoogle Scholar
New York State Education Department. (2014). Chancellor's Regulations Part 154: Services for pupils with limited English proficiency. Retrieved from http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/programs/bilingual-ed/terms-154-1-effective-through-2014-15.pdfGoogle Scholar
Otheguy, R., García, O., & Reid, W. (2015). Clarifying translanguaging and deconstructing named languages: A perspective from linguistics. Applied Linguistics Review, 6 (3), 281–307.Google Scholar
Palmer, D., Martínez, R., Mateus, S., & Henderson, K. (2014). Reframing the debate on language separation: Toward a vision for translanguaging pedagogies in the dual language classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 98 (3), 757–772.Google Scholar
Paris, D. (2012). Culturally sustaining pedagogy: A needed change in stance, terminology, and practice. Educational Researcher, 41 (3), 93–97.Google Scholar
Rolstad, K., Mahoney, K., & Glass, G. (2005). The big picture: A meta-analysis of program effectiveness research on English language learners. Educational Policy, 19 (4), 572–594.Google Scholar
Torres-Guzmán, M. (2007). Dual language programs: Key features and results. In García, O. & Baker, C. (Eds.), Bilingual education: An introductory reader (pp. 50–63). Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
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, 879–912.Google Scholar