Overview and Purpose
This presentation will: (1) Outline the results of a longitudinal study investigating linguistic and academic growth of students enrolled in a 90/10 dual language program in an inner-city (K-5) school located in a Latino community; (2) Compare the results of the students enrolled in this dual language program with a similar group of students enrolled in a traditional English-medium program; and, (3) Explain how a successful additive bilingual education model can serve as a catalyst for revitalizing the minority languages in a low-income Latino neighborhood.

Selected Background Literature
Research on the effectiveness of bilingual education for English language learners (ELL) has begun to shift from the traditional study of subtractive models whose primary objective is learning the majority language to the analysis of the effectiveness of additive program models on various populations. For example, Amrein & Peña (2000) and Freeman (1996) both stress the significance of analyzing the context within which the language program or practice occurs in order to understand program outcomes. Programs such as dual language immersion have been documented to be highly successful if the language represented by the minority population is valued and has a high status within the school environment (Cummins, 1986; Freeman, 1996). Thus, when implemented in inner-city schools, additive bilingual programs could serve as the impetus for bringing about reforms, restructuring, and minority language revitalization. The guiding research questions for the study include the following:
- What is the growth in language proficiency and academic achievement experienced by an ethnically homogeneous group of Spanish dominant and English dominant students enrolled in a dual language program as compared to students enrolled in an English-medium classroom?
- What role does the dual language program play in the restructuring and reform efforts of a mostly Latino inner-city school? Program Description Located in a changing neighborhood in a large metropolitan school district in the southwest, this community learning center (CLC) is comprised of 400 students in grades Pre-K-5. The population is 95% Latino, 4% Anglo, 5% African American, and the remaining 5% of the students come from other ethnic groups. With 54% labeled limited English proficient (LEP), the majority of the students are at high risk of dropping out of school. Cohort 1 consisted of two classrooms receiving instruction in the 90/10 dual language model, totaling 41 students and one group of 22 students enrolled in an English-medium classroom. Cohort 2 included 43 students in the dual language track and 19 students in the English-medium comparison group.

Data was derived primarily from score analysis of the following instruments:

The Woodcock - Munoz Language Survey
The TerraNova Assessment Series
The Supera Assessment Series
The Texas Assessment of Academic Skills Test

Preliminary findings point to the success of dual language in meeting program goals academic language proficiency, biliteracy, and positive attitudes toward the use of Spanish as an academic language. Students enrolled in the English-medium program are progressing and a host of other factors also contribute to restructuring efforts of this inner-city school.