Improving Literacy Achievement for English Learners in Transitional Bilingual Programs

This article reports the results of an ongoing effort to design, implement, and evaluate an effective transitional bilingual program. The program developed spans grades 2–5, and employs a specific language arts model. Evaluation results, based on comparisons of randomly selected matched samples of project and nonproject students (n = 42, 42), indicate the program is demonstrably more effective than the transition program students typically receive, producing higher levels of Spanish literacy, significantly higher levels of English literacy, and important literacy-related practices and attitudes for significantly larger numbers of students. Results have direct implications for educators seeking to improve programs for English learners. Questions regarding large-scale program implementation, however, remain.