The Poor Academic Performance of Emergent Bilinguals
The poor academic performance of emergent bilinguals is oftentimes the result of lack of access to native language instruction or support and a failure to implement research-based instructional practices
Identify and Describe the Issue (1.5 - 2 pages)
Incorporate citations from the course readings and other relevant sources to help you address the following:
What is the issue?
How does it relate explicitly to EBs?
What is inequitable about it?
How has the inequity been addressed? And/or, why does the issue continue to be an inequity?
Clearly Articulate Your Position/Stance on the Issue (2 pages)
State your position
Cite arguments supporting your position, including relevant claims and evidence.
Use evidence from our readings/other relevant sources to support your arguments.
What course of action might be effective in addressing this issue, or what recommendations might you offer to a specific audience in relation to this issue? (be specific about your audience!)
Title
Your Name
Subject and Section
Professor’s Name
Date
The Poor Academic Performance of Emergent Bilinguals
The Emergent Bilinguals
Emergent bilingual individuals in the United States exhibit linguistic diversity, with Spanish standing out as the predominant language spoken among this group. Various estimates suggest that the percentage of emergent bilingual students who primarily use Spanish as their home language ranges from 70%, as reported in the 2014 American Community Survey, to approximately 76.5%, corresponding to approximately 3,770,816 emergent bilingual students who are Spanish speakers, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics in 2015 (García & Kleifgen, 2018).
The Issue
The core concern pertains to the academic underperformance exhibited by emergent bilingual students. A study by Hopewell & Escamilla (2014) focused on the emergent bilinguals' competency in English and Spanish. This study is overarching implication arises, highlighting the need for tailored pedagogical interventions. Particularly, students who demonstrate commendable reading abilities in their native language, Spanish, are posited to require precise and directed instruction in English Language Arts (ELA) rather than overarching remediation in reading. This underscores the nuanced nature of educational needs amongst emergent bilingual students and the pertinence of dialect-specific tutelage for optimal scholastic advancement.
Relationship of the Issue to Emergent Bilinguals
The topic directly pertains to emergent bilinguals as it underscores that their unsatisfactory academic