NYC Schools to Adopt 'Dual Language' Programs

In an effort to provide more effective education that helps in building a strong foundation for the future, schools in New York City will offer bilingual programs that will help students learn more.

Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña will unveil a plan to open 38 bilingual programs in different NYC schools starting in September, reports New York Daily News. The unveiling is scheduled to occur Monday.

The 38 bilingual programs include 29 new 'Dual Language' programs that will include classes being taught in various languages: Chinese, Haitian, Creole, French, Arabic, Polish and Spanish, with English being used in alternating days.

Students will be taught traditional subjects such as science and math using the aforementioned languages. Others will be given tutorials in English. The bilingual lessons are aimed towards both native English speakers, as well as those who are new to the language.

"As a former English language learner, I know that a strong education makes all the difference," Fariña, whose parents were immigrants from Spain, said. "These new bilingual programs will give students the foundation to succeed in the classroom and in the job market."

NYC education officials say that about 1,200 students will enroll in the program this year. To handle that, teachers from participating schools will be given training and classroom resources.

Staten Island's Port Richmond High School is one of the schools that will host the program in September. Principal Timothy Gannon strongly supports the initiative.

"The Dual Language program allows kids of Spanish backgrounds to learn on equal ground with English speakers," said Gannon. "It brings about a great collaboration between the kids."

ProEnglish, a non-partisan, non-profit organization that advocates the use of the English language, says that bilingual education enables a non-English speaker to learn without falling behind his English-speaking classmates. This could very well be a reflection of Nelson Mandela's words that were quoted in a recent U.S. Department of Education speech:

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."