Parents' Questions About Two-Way Immersion

1. What advantages are there for my child in a TWI program? Are the advantages the same for language minority and language majority students?
2. How do students in TWI programs compare academically to students in other types of educational programs?
3. When do students perform at grade level on standardized achievement tests in their first and second languages? Is the time frame different for 90/10 vs. 50/50 models?
4. Within TWI programs, how does the academic performance of native English speakers compare to that of English language learners?
5. What are the characteristics of students who are successful in TWI programs?
6. How can TWI program parents help families who don’t have children in the program understand its benefits?
7. How can TWI parents work with the school board and district administrators to help them understand the importance of supporting TWI programs?
8. What should a TWI program do to promote home-school connections? What can I do as a parent to get involved?
9. How can I help support my child in doing homework in the second language, particularly if I don’t know that language? What kind of homework support can the program provide?
10. What resources exist for parents of TWI students? Are there conferences that I might enjoy attending?

10. What resources exist for parents of TWI students? Are there conferences that I might enjoy attending?

There are many resources for parents on two-way immersion education. There are also conferences that provide opportunities for parents to network with TWI educators and other TWI parents.

Resources include books (see the annotated bibliography) and videos from organizations and from other TWI programs. Dual language videos are available through the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL).

There are also online directories of dual language programs. CAL has an online directory of TWI programs in the United States, the California Department of Education has a directory of all the two-way bilingual immersion programs in California, and the Texas Two-Way/Dual Language Consortium has an online directory of programs in that state.

Following is a partial list of organizations with a special interest in dual language education: The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), 2-Way CABE (California Association for Bilingual Education), Dual Language Education of New Mexico, and the Illinois Resource Center.

Some of these organizations host conferences that look at dual language programs, and this information is provided on their websites. The OELA Newsline of the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition also has a section for parents of bilingual children (to subscribe, go to http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/enews/subscribe.htm)