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Hey, Urvashi - fascinating study! Is there any way you can post a different link to this? I can't access it through this one.

Here's a study on one bilingual classroom that tries to teach Spanish to English speakers and English to Spanish speakers: Here are the goals: "For middle class English-speaking children, two-way programs offer an enrichment opportunity: a chance to learn a foreign language in the early grades of elementary school, something quite rare and special for English speakers in a U.S. context. For working-class Latino children, two-way programs often offer stronger academic programs and more primary language support than their neighborhood schools. They offer a chance for children to maintain and develop pride in their heritage language and culture while still learning English, which is critical to their survival in the United States."

As the study points out, it doesn't always work that way, due to power issues, but it is an interesting idea. I wonder if it was taught making the power explicit (how could you do that with 2nd graders though?), if it would be more effective, i.e. being clear about the the fact that learning to be bilingual makes you more powerful for either side, but the non-native English speakers need to learn English to have any power at all in this country.

It would be an interesting PROBE paper topic - hint, hint. ;)

http://ows.edb.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/users/dpalmer/EngSpkrs%20TESOLQ.pdf

Looks like Virginia passed a similar policy, and this is Jeb Bush's response to it: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/sep/24/school-expectations-should-be-colorblind/

While I don't agree that Florida "A-F" school rankings are a fix for these problems, I do agree with his main point: differentiating goals/standards by race just perpetuates the achievement gap that we already have.