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