Dual language learning a boon

I grew up speaking Spanish with my parents, who fled their native Spain during its Civil War and settled in Brooklyn. I didn’t know any English when I started kindergarten and the teacher marked me absent for six weeks because I didn’t understand her mangled pronunciation of my last name. Like many of you, I struggled to be bilingual and bicultural, trying to hold on to my parents’ traditions while finding my footing in their adopted land.

Today, approximately 14 percent of New York City’s public school students – about 150,000 boys and girls – are English Language Learners (ELLs), like I was when I started school. I am proud that this fall, the Department of Education will open or expand Dual Language programs across the five boroughs, offering students the opportunity to acquire fluency in two languages and, at the same time, foster their respect and appreciation for multiple cultures. 

In Dual Language classes, 50 percent of students are ELLs and 50 percent are English-proficient students. Both groups of students receive instruction in English and a target second language. Among the programs is the City’s first Japanese Dual Language classroom; other programs include Spanish, French, Haitian- Creole, and Mandarin. 

Last year the Division of English Language Learners and Student Support (DELLSS) was created to provide a high-quality education and targeted support to prepare ELLs for college and career readiness. Deputy Chancellor Milady Baez, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic who like me did not know any English when she began school in New York City, is the first to lead the DOE’s robust efforts to support ELLs. Ms. Baez has been a champion of ELLs throughout the span of her career in bilingual education.