Activity 4: Choices for Parents

Document 4 is a newspaper article from February, 2001, "For Parents, One Size Doesn't Fit All in Bilingual Education." Students should read the article and discuss the following questions in class.

Why did Yuliya Kovardinskaya choose not to put her son in a bilingual program? How do your parents feel about bilingual education?

Sandra Almanzar has the opposite opinion, based on her own experience. Who do you agree with?

What are some other reasons why parents choose bilingual programs for their children? Why do many Russian parents reject bilingual education?

What are the four options parents can choose from, according the Chancellor Levy's proposals?

What other problems do parents see in the schools? Have the problems Hector talked about 10 years ago been resolved?

Students should list all of the arguments, pro and con, that they find in the article, to prepare for a class debate on bilingual education. They can also quote from other documents they have studied and do further research on their own.

Using Worksheet 1, students will interview other students in their school who speak different native languages and are in bilingual programs to find out their opinions.

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