In a study done by Lucas, Henze & Donato (1990), six
successful schools in California and Arizona were studied and the following was
observed as crucial to implementing effective bilingual programs.
1) Value and status were given to the language minority students' language and
culture. While English literacy was a major goal, native language skills were
celebrated, encouraged inside and outside the formal curriculum and flagged as an
advantage rather than a liability.
2) High expectations of language minority students were prevalent. Counseling,
parent
training, and the hiring of minority staff that act as role models for these children
were cited as ways of keeping expectations high.
3) School leaders gave the education of language minority students a relatively
high
priority. This included awareness of current curriculum and research and
communicating this to staff.
4) Staff development was designed to help all the staff effectively serve
language
minority students. They were given the knowledge of how a child learns a second
language.
5) A variety of courses for language minority students were offered such as
English as
a Second Language and native language courses. Class sizes were limited
to 20-25.
6) Bilingual counselors provided
7) Parents of bilingual children were encouraged to get involved through parent
meetings, cultural activities, etc...
8) School staff is committed to the empowerment of language minority students
through education. This is realized through extra curricula activities, participation in
community activities, interest in developing pedagogic skills and interest in the
political process of improving the lot of language minority students.