Recently, on their blog forum Room for Debate, The New York Times invited contributors to discuss strategies for educating immigrant children and helping them to meet rising academic standards. The conversation stemmed from a report on Cecil D. Hylton High School, a school in Virginia that is separating immigrant children from the general student population in an effort to teach them English. The practice had mixed results: many of the children did master English, as well as American history and other subjects required to meet high school test standards. However, some students felt isolated in their “school-within-a-school” –– unable to relate to or communicate effectively with their English-speaking peers, and hampered by so much daily contact with others like themselves who did not speak English fluently. Contributors weighed in with their posts, and the result is a fascinating discussion of this hot-button topic.
While there is no single answer to the question of how best to educate immigrant children in our country, educators nationwide are striving to discover what works, what doesn’t, and which methods provide the best hope for limited English speakers to eventually master English and go on to earn college degrees.
As more immigrant children are educated within our school system and strive to create a life for themselves here in the United States, they are creating a generation of bilingual, educated achievers … people who are building a future for themselves, their families and future generations.
At Avantpage, we strive for similar goals—to connect with other cultures through language, to make understanding and comprehension of key concepts easier and more intuitive through translation, and to offer ways for organizations to reach out more effectively to non-English speakers. Even though many children of non-English speakers are assimilating fully into U.S. culture and language mastery, their parents may still be struggling with language and communication issues. This is where Avantpage can offer expertise and assistance: translating critical information into 150 languages, website localization, interpretation, linguistic engineering, and much more.
Industries we specialize in include healthcare and life sciences, banking and finance, education, marketing and public relations, gaming, government, human resources, insurance, manufacturing, and technology. When you choose Avantpage for your linguistic needs, you’re partnering with an industry leader with over 15 years of experience!
