WHY BILINGUAL
EDUCATION?
The 5 C’s
COGNITIVE
COGNITIVE
• TIME: a multilingual brain is nimbler,
quicker, better able to deal with
ambiguities, resolve conflicts and even
resist Alzheimer’s disease and other forms
of dementia longer.
COGNITIVE CONTINUED
• NEW YORK TIMES: the bilingual experience
improves the brain’s so-called executive function
– a command system that directs the attention
processes that we use for planning, solving
problems and performing various other mentally
demanding tasks
COGNITIVE
• The cognitive control required to manage
multiple languages appears to have broad
effects on neurological function, fine-tuning both
cognitive control mechanisms and sensory
processes.
COGNITIVE
• Higher proficiency in a second language,
as well as earlier acquisition of that
language, correlates with higher gray
matter volume in the left inferior parietal
cortex
COGNITIVE
• Researchers have shown bilingualism to
positively influence attention and conflict
management in infants as young as seven
months. (DANA FOUNDATION)
COGNITIVE
• LA TIMES: This constant back-and-forth
between two linguistic systems means
frequent exercise for the brain's so-called
executive control functions, located mainly in
the prefrontal cortex. This is the part of the
brain tasked with focusing one's attention,
ignoring distractions, holding multiple pieces
of information in mind when trying to solve a
problem, and then flipping back and forth
between them.
COGNITIVE, IN SUM
• Bilingual brains are very active and flexible (Zelasko
and Antunez, 2000). Research also shows that bilingual
people have an easier time:
– understanding math concepts and solving word problems
more easily (Zelasko and Antunez, 2000);
– developing strong thinking skills (Kessler and Quinn, 1980);
– using logic (Bialystok and Majumder, as cited in Castro,
Ayankoya, & Kasprzak, 2011);
– focusing, remembering, and making decisions (Bialystok,
2001);
– thinking about language (Castro et al., 2011); and
– learning other languages ( Jessner, 2008).
CAREER
• A poll carried out by Korn/Ferry International,
the world’s largest executive search firm,
found that 64% of executives spoke two or
more languages.
CAREER
• Salary.com: positions with bilingual pay
differentials averaged between 5% to 20%
more per hour than the position’s base
salary
CAREER
• Research shows that they also earn an
average of $7,000 more per year than
their monolingual peers (Fradd, 2000).
COLLEGE
• Higher average ACT and SAT scores
• More academic success in college
• Bilingual children show better self-control
(Kovács & Mehler, 2009)
CULTURAL
• Today, more of the world’s population is
bilingual or multilingual than monolingual.
(DANA FOUNDATION)
CULTURAL
• Percentage of the U.S. speaking a
language other than English:
•
•
•
•
1980-10%
1990 - 13%
2000 - 17%
2010 – 20% (more than 60 million people)
– U.S. Census Bureau
CULTURAL
• Becoming bilingual supports children
• to maintain strong ties with their:
– entire family
– culture
– community
• All of these are key parts of children’s developing
identity (Zelasko and Antunez, 2000).
• Bilingual children are also able to make new
friends and create strong relationships in their
second language—an important personal skill in
our increasingly diverse society.
CATHOLIC
CATHOLIC
• Tower of Babel V. Pentecost
CATHOLIC
CATHOLIC
• Our Pope, Archbishop, and Pastor!
CATHOLIC
• Bilingualism has been in Catholic schools since
1800s
CATHOLIC
• “Catholic” means universal