Bilingual Instruction in Kindergarten Raises Hispanic Students' English Reading Achievement in Subsequent Grades

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Comparative Perspectives on Education for Bi/multilingual Students

Abstract

As the population of English Learners (ELs) continues to rise, practitioners and policy makers debate whether to provide these students with academic instruction in their native language or immerse them in English-only instruction. Considering the large percentage of ELs that are Spanish-speaking, this study sought to investigate the impact of bilingual or dual language instruction in kindergarten on the reading achievement of Hispanic students in subsequent grades using a nationally representative sample. To estimate program effects, several analyses were conducted using school and student FE. Findings suggest that Hispanic students who received bilingual instruction in kindergarten outperformed their peers in English reading in subsequent grades, and these positive estimates may not emerge until the later grades.

Authors

• Melina Aurora Pinales, University of California - Irvine

• George Farkas, University of California - Irvine