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Hi, all.
I got into a discussion/debate this weekend with my mom re: bilingual ed ("good or bad?"). So tonight I did some research and came across an academic site re: the history of bilingual education, what it is exactly, success rates, etc. (and links to research papers on the topic).
Just thought I'd share this with you since some might be considering adopting children who are older than the pre-language stage. Something to consider, anyway.
(http, colon, 2 forward slashes)ourworld(dot)compuserve(dot)com(forward slash)homepages(forward slash)JWCRAWFORD(forward slash)biling(dot)htm
P.S. I wonder how a parent would go about finding an elementary school that offers bilingual ed or an ESL program in their area?
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Interesting link! It'll take some time to get through. Check out your schools homepage. Most schools and school districts have one. They usually list their resources available to students.
Most likely, unless your school is in a glass house, ESL should be available. True Bilingual Ed, on the other hand, is much less common.
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I received an e-mail from the PIO (public info officer) of our school district today (she's also an acquaintance from my grad school days), and she told me of one elementary school that offers a full Spanish immersion program. (I'm not sure if it's to teach Spanish as a Second Language for English-only kids, or if this would be like a bilingual program for LEP kids (limited English proficiency), so I'll need to call the principal for the details.
She also said that several schools (out of 20-something) offer ESL programs, with one in particular being the largest. It's actually the school I attended in kindergarten and first grade (!), but it's quite far from where we live now, so we probably won't enroll our two there.
Hey, does anybody on this board know how to get kids enrolled in a developmental program BEFORE they enter school? I think all kids adopted internationally (who speak a language other than English) should qualify. I don't know if that would be a CITY service, a STATE one, or even a FEDERAL one, so I'm not sure whom to call. :o
In the meantime, I'm on pins and needles waiting to hear how the abandonment hearing went today!!! (Please keep your fingers crossed for us!)
Rebecca
Usually it is a matter of contacting the local school district and asking for your child to be evaluated for headstart or a developmental preschool. In my state I think it falls to the district for 3-5 years and maybe to the state for 0-3 years olds. Though it probably depends on your state. Not sure if every child is automatically eligible.
From family experience, put all requests in writing. A family member fought for months to get speech therapy and was told by a school social worker who made her presence known after 1 year, that all the needed to really do was make a strong statement in writing.
Be prepare for a battle with the school system. Most are short resources and are usually very stingy with services.
Good Luck!
Yes, definitely call your state's HeadStart program. You may also want to call your state's dept of children and families for info. I've heard that ALL internationally adopted children are consdiered special needs and therefore pretty much all qualify for HeadStart...now that's just what I've heard and cannot remember where I even heard it.
What about calling the SW who did your homestudy about it, or calling an international adoption agency in your local area.
Let me know what you find out. BTW, what state are you in?
Robin
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