Research on bilingual education has shown the effectiveness of the program since the 1960s, beginning with the first publicly-funded dual language program (called only the “bilingual program”) at Coral Way Elementary School in 1962 (Miami, Florida).

Today, bilingual education and dual language programs in particular, has grown to over 3,000 programs across the United States. There are more than 240 programs in North Carolina (2022-23).

Books

Biliteracy from the Start: Literacy Squared in Action by Kathy Escamilla, Susan Hopewell and many others.

Teaching for Biliteracy: Strengthening Bridges between Languages by Karen Beeman and Cheryl Urow

Dual Language Essentials for Teachers and Administrators by Yvonne S Freeman and David E Freeman.

The Coral Way Bilingual Program by Maria Coady.

Some references and resources on dual language and bilingual education.

Bilingual Education in the News

Multiliteracies and Multilingual Learners, 2022, Dr. Margo Gottlieb, Language Magazine

Bilingual Education Programs Can Help Children from All Backgrounds Become Better Students, 2020, USAToday

Effectiveness of (and good reads on) Bilingual Education

Collier, V.P., & Thomas, W.P. (2020). Why dual language works for everyone, PK-12. Multilingual Educator, California Association for Bilingual Education, March 2020 annual edition.

Collier, V.P., & Thomas, W.P. (2017). Validating the power of bilingual schooling: Thirty-two years of large-scale, longitudinal research. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 37, 1-15. PDF

Greene, J. P. (1998). A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Bilingual Education. Unpublished paper of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute, Claremont Graduate School.

MacSwan, J., Thompson, M.S., Rolstad, K., McAlister, K. and Lobo, G. (2017). Three theories of the effects of language education programs: An empirical evaluation of bilingual and English-only policies. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 37, 218– 240. See https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190517000137

McField, G.P. and McField, D.R. (2014). The consistent outcome of bilingual education programs: A meta-analysis of meta-analyses. In G.P. McField (ed.) The Miseducation of English Learners (pp. 267–298). Charlotte, NC: Information Age.

Reljic, G., Ferring,D., & Martin, R. (2015). A meta-analysis on the effectiveness of bilingual programs in Europe. Review of Educational Research, 85(1), 92-128.

Rossell, C. & Baker, K. (1996). The Educational Effectiveness of Bilingual Education. Research in the Teaching of English, February, 30(1) 7-74.

Slavin, R. E. & Cheung, A. (2003, December). Effective Reading Programs for English Language Learners: A Best Evidence Synthesis. Report 66. Washington, D.C.: Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk.

Sugarman, J. (2018). A matter of design: English learner program models in K-12 education. Migration Policy Institute, Research Brief Issue 2. Washington, DC.

School Effectiveness for Language Minority Students. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition.

Willig, A. C. (1985). A meta-analysis of selected studies on the effectiveness of bilingual education. Review of Educational Research, 55(3), 269-317.

Academic Journals

Bilingual Research Journal

NABE Journal of Research and Practice (NJRP)

Language Policy journal

TESOL Quarterly

Other Recent Studies

Menken, K. & Solorza, C. (2013). Where Have All the Bilingual Programs Gone?!: Why Prepared School Leaders are Essential for Bilingual Education. Retrieved from https://katemenken.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/where-have-all-the-bilingual-programs-gone_.pdf