Language policies and practices for helping immigrants and second-generation students succeed - Deutscher Bildungsserver

Language policies and practices for helping immigrants and second-generation students succeed

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/ChristensenEducation091907.pdf

For many immigrants and children of immigrants, the language of instruction in schools and educational institutions is often different from the one spoken at home. These children may need extra support to master the language of instruction, which is a key to success in school. This brief looks at the various approaches that may help studentsÂ’ second-language learning. Â… This paper draws on the results of a unique survey of school language polices and practices in 14 immigrant-receiving countries. The survey results provide insight on approaches that may help immigrant students gain proficiency in the language of instruction. Because of the limited research in this area, it is not possible to present a set of experimentally field-tested best practices. Instead, we provide some recommendations based on countries where there are only small differences in achievement between second-language learners and other students. These recommendations include making long-term investments in systematic language support programs, especially for countries that do not currently have such programs, and training teachers in second-language acquisition both through preservice and professional development programs.