Bilingual education is a hot topic in modern education research. Traditional English Language Learning (ELL) programs once focused on hasty assimilation to “English-only” while some newer models teach full curriculum in two languages to all students from a young age. While approaches are widely debated, research does suggest certain benefits to bilingual education.
As part of NPR ED’s ongoing series exploring ELL, NPR’s leading education blogger, Anya Kamenetz, recently posted 6 Potential Brain Benefits of Bilingual Education. According to this post, bilingual education may help promote:
- Attention
- Empathy
- Reading (in English)
- School Performance & Engagement
- Diversity & Integration
- Protection Against Cognitive Decline & Dementia
Read the full article to find out more – it’s an interesting read and definitely an area worth exploring!