How bilingual education helps.

PUBLISHED in the Sacramento Bee, September 21, 2016

as  Bilingual education helps kids learn

San Juan Unified administrator Martha Quadros notes that sometimes parents don't understand how developing the home language helps children transition to English.  It helps in two ways:
When children get quality education in their first language, they learn more subject matter: This knowledge  helps make the English they hear more comprehensible, which results in more acquisition of English.
It is much faster to learn to read in a language the child understands. Once the child can read in the first language, this ability transfers rapidly to the second language.
Good bilingual programs teach subject matter and develop literacy in the first language in early stages. They start English as a second language classes immediately, and teach subject matter in English as soon as it can be made comprehensible.
And it works. Research has shown that students in quality bilingual programs outperform students with similar backgrounds on tests of English reading.
Stephen Krashen
Original article: New catalyst for bilingual education on November ballot. http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/education/article102632417.html