The Hechinger Report – Margaret Ramirez
“At Public School 73 in the South Bronx, 8-year-old Arlette Espallat is reading aloud in Spanish about animals found in “el bosque” or, the forest. Her voice rises as she brings the faraway images to the noisy classroom. Later in the week, Arlette and her classmates will read in English about the life of Olympic medalist Wilma Rudolph. But, ask the chatty third-grader which language she likes best and she gives a thoughtful answer. “I like Spanish better. That’s because I know if I learn my own language, then I will be better in reading and writing English,” she said. Several educators agree with Arlette’s reasoning. In New York City and other parts of the nation, dual-language schools and education programs are on the rise as a way to better prepare students for jobs in a globalized economy. The programs provide instruction in two languages in order to help students develop proficiency in both.”(more)