| On the border of Mexico, the student population of | | | | Schools don't have control over how old children are |
| Dallas Schools is about 43% Hispanic. The current | | | | when they appear in the system. Foreign language |
| climate of tensions over border control and bilingual | | | | education faces the same scrutiny, as most Dallas |
| education is no stranger to teachers, administrators, | | | | Schools don't offer any foreign language courses until |
| and families of the Dallas Schools. Who to educate in | | | | the upper grades. |
| a new language, and how to teach them is a topic that | | | | Some parents and educators in the Dallas Schools |
| has caused Dallas Schools a lot of conflict over the | | | | area have put out a call for earlier foreign language |
| years. | | | | exposure for elementary school age children. But the |
| In 2005 many residents of Dallas Schools were | | | | current climate over immigration and forced language |
| infuriated when the school board passed a bill that | | | | learning does little to help that cause. There are some |
| required some school principals to gain fluency in | | | | innovative schools around the country that do offer |
| Spanish or lose their jobs. The explanation was that | | | | complete immersion classes in a foreign language. |
| problems were rampant because English speaking | | | | John E. Ford Elementary School is a public school |
| principals and Spanish speaking parents couldn't | | | | magnet in Jacksonville, FL that offers a complete |
| communicate. | | | | Spanish immersion program from pre-k to 8th grade. |
| A furor arose among proponents of English immersion | | | | However, many residents of Dallas schools are |
| who felt that it was the Hispanic parents who had the | | | | reluctant to make it easier for Spanish speaking |
| responsibility to learn a new language. Most principals | | | | residents to get by without English. |
| learned the language or were relocated. | | | | Are the English speaking students of Dallas Schools |
| The decision about how to educate non-English | | | | missing out because of the firm beliefs of some |
| speaking children in Dallas schools is under the same | | | | adults? Or would making Spanish more commonly |
| scrutiny. Bilingual education was once viewed as the | | | | used be detrimental to the Dallas Schools system? |
| best option, and a good way to ease Hispanic | | | | Language immersion and the offerings of free |
| speakers into the Dallas Schools culture. But a lot of | | | | education in venues like Dallas schools continue to be |
| evidence over the past few years points to immersion | | | | hot topics around the nation. Can the grown ups come |
| as a better way to teach children a new language. | | | | to a solution that will allow both Spanish and English |
| Educators in Dallas Schools are aware that the best | | | | speaking children to succeed in Dallas Schools? Yo no |
| window for teaching a person a new language skill is | | | | sÄ-. |
| before they are 7 years of age. Unfortunately, Dallas | | | | |