News Release

Calling for an end to ideological debates on teaching English language learners to read, a new report analyzing more than three decades of research finds that bilingual education programs produce higher levels of student achievement in reading than English-only approaches for this rapidly growing population. Today, about 20 percent of students in the United States come from homes in which English is not the primary language spoken.

The report's findings stand in direct contrast to actions taken by the federal government and states such as Arizona, California, and Massachusetts, which have limited the amount of instruction ELL students may receive in their native language.

The analysis, conducted by Robert Slavin of the Johns Hopkins University and Alan Cheung of the Success for All Foundation, also found that students participating in paired bilingual programs — those offering ongoing instruction in a native language and English at different times of the day — made the most dramatic gains in reading performance compared to their English-only peers.

The report, Effective Reading Programs for English Language Learners: A Best-Evidence Synthesis, found that among 17 studies on elementary reading that met the report's criteria for scientifically-based research, most found significant positive effects of bilingual education on reading performance and others found no difference. "In no case did results from an English-only strategy exceed those from a bilingual strategy," the report says.

Of these studies, nine were conducted over multiple years. Five of these found greater gains through bilingual education, four found no difference, and none favored English-only.

To be included in the analysis, studies had to compare bilingual instruction to English-only instruction with English language learners, and there had to be evidence that the two groups were comparable in reading performance before the treatments began. The treatments had to be in place for at least one year, and a quantitative, objective measure of reading had to be used.

Achieving Federal Mandates

The report's findings offer important insight to the politically-charged debate over ELL students who are among the groups most at-risk of not achieving new federal and state goals for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) now required by the No Child Left Behind Act.

"Thousands of schools cannot meet their AYP goals unless their English language learners are doing well in reading," states the report. "More importantly, American society cannot achieve equal opportunity for all if its schools do not succeed with the children of immigrants."

Today, most non-English speaking immigrants in the U.S. are Hispanic, part of the fastest-growing sector of the population but one that has chronically under-performed academically. Only 44 percent of Latino fourth-graders scored at or above the "basic" level on the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading exam, compared to 75 percent of white students.

Instructional Methods As Important As Language

The report also found the quality of literacy instruction for English Language Learners to be at least as important a determining factor in student performance as the degree of native language instruction that these programs provide. The researchers examined a number of specific, replicable programs that have been evaluated with ELL students, using the same general criteria for inclusion used to analyze the bilingual and English-only programs.

The researchers found "consistent positive effects" from beginning reading programs using systematic phonics and one-to-one and small-group tutoring models, methods central to Success For All and Direct Instruction, two literacy programs that were featured in much of the research. The report also notes that all but one of the programs found to be successful with English language learners were adapted from programs found to be successful with English-dominant students.

"While the number of high-quality studies is sufficient to draw some conclusions about the most effective methods and strategies for educating language learners," says Slavin, "the field desperately needs more studies that conform to the highest standards of scientifically-based research.

Robert Slavin, Ph.D., is the co-director of the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR) at Johns Hopkins University and the Chairman of the Success for All Foundation, a non-profit organization linked to Johns Hopkins University that develops, evaluates, and disseminates programs for disadvantaged students. Alan Cheung is a Research Scientist at the Success for All Foundation.

The Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk is a collaborative effort between Howard and Johns Hopkins Universities. The research and development center is funded by the Institute for Education Sciences and has launched an important comprehensive school initiative designed to enhance the achievement, academic environment, and quality of life for students, teachers, and parents. Other reports on educational approaches for English language learners and available at CRESPAR's Web site include Developing Transitional Programs for English Language Learners, Supporting the Development of English Literacy in English Language Learners, and Trends in Two-Way Immersion Education.

To speak with Slavin and Cheung, contact Cheryl Sattler at1-800-548-4998 ext. 2583, or Matt Maurer at (202) 955-9450 ext. 322, or Amy Cowles at (443) 287-9960, amycowles@jhu.edu. CRESPAR on the Web: www.csos.jhu.edu.

Effective Reading Programs for English Language Learners: A Best-Evidence Synthesis can be accessed directly at www.csos.jhu.edu/crespar/techReports/Report66.pdf.