Why not just teach them in English?

Among the questions that I get fairly frequently, particularly from older people who have had different experiences with the school system, is why we don't just teach all kids in English (often, someone will add, "as they did for me/my parents/my grandparents!")

Here's why:

Systematic, deliberate exposure to English during early childhood combined with ongoing opportunities to learn important concepts in the home language results in the highest achievement in both the home language and English by the end of Third Grade and beyond.

 The full report is entitled Challenging Common Myths About Dual Language Learners. If this topic is of interest to you (and if you're involved in education in Worcester or any other community with a significant ELL community, it should be!), I would highly recommend reading it.
Great news about the cool things it does for all kids in dual language immersion programs like those at Chandler Magnet, Roosevelt, and Norrback, too!