The Successes and Failure of Educational Diversity

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Bilingual Education or English Immersion, two very different methods of instruction that have been the basis of debate in the United States in order to figure out the most efficient and successful ways in which to instruct bilingual students whose first language is not EnglishEnglish Language Learners (ELL). Even though extensive research has been done on both methods of instruction over the years, and new laws have been implemented regulating the ways in which ELL students will be taught in order for them to be more successful in their education, the majority of ELL students’ academic performance is below that of their peers. While the method of instruction is an important issue, the main focus shouldn’t be the language of instruction which the issue tends to focus on, but the “quality of instruction” (Brisk) we provide to ELL students, in order for this to be achieved; their needs to be more teachers instructed in the methods on how to teach ELL students as well as a the option for parents to be able to place their children in either a Bilingual Education or English Immersion class. With teachers better prepared to take on the task of instructing ELL students and more options for parents on the kinds of instruction their children will be receiving, these students will be placed in an environment where learning is not something they will struggle with any more than any students whose native language is English.
From “Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in programs or activities receiving federal monies” (Fitzgerald) to “Title VII, the Bilingual Education Act of 1968”, which was used “to support programs for language-minority children in school...

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