Why wouldn't you pick immersion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people pick immersion because they like the idea of being able to say, "My kid speaks two languages!" It makes their kids sound smarter than your kid .

Do people think that? My maid speaks 2 languages and didn't graduate high school my FIL has 2 PHDs and is monolingual.

I always think this in my head when I see the "monolingual is the new stupid" mantra reposted on DCUM by the kook-aid drinkers.

The guy who cuts my grass in 96 degree weather is also bilingual.

The guy who cuts your grass is also likely a survivor of multiple hardships/atrocities in his home country. He is here taking advantage of your expendable cash ( an laziness) to better himself and or a whole family in the US and likely back home. He will take your money and bring his family here or support them at home. I think that makes him less of the loser than you think he is.

Yeah. Between PP and the guy who cuts his grass, I think I know which one I'd rather Be around.

Employer of lawn service here. Point out in my post where I said the guy who cuts my grass is a "loser" or that I "think he is" a loser. Or even implied that.

Here's what I do think: I think he and the millions of bilingual people living in the US aren't necessarily geniuses with massive advantages over monolingual people in the US.

This contradicts the Kool-Aid fueled mantra of many young white DC parents who like to post on DCUM. That is all.

Isn't it great when people try to defend themselves and then say something equally as racist as their prior post? Really, immigrants who are bilingual and cut grass are not geniuses, what, because they cut your grass? Wow your ignorance is incredible. Do you know how many people in the US were professors or professionals in their home country and cannot get anything at all similar here, so are driving taxis, cutting grass, working as housekeepers? I'm not saying all in those jobs were white collar workers in their home country, but to judge that someone who's bilingual and cuts lawns is not a genius is your racism and ignorance showing yet again.

The number of people who are clear we'd rather hang out with your lawn service guy than you is growing rapidly. I'm not the person who says that above but I totally agree with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people pick immersion because they like the idea of being able to say, "My kid speaks two languages!" It makes their kids sound smarter than your kid .

Do people think that? My maid speaks 2 languages and didn't graduate high school my FIL has 2 PHDs and is monolingual.

I always think this in my head when I see the "monolingual is the new stupid" mantra reposted on DCUM by the kook-aid drinkers.

The guy who cuts my grass in 96 degree weather is also bilingual.

The guy who cuts your grass is also likely a survivor of multiple hardships/atrocities in his home country. He is here taking advantage of your expendable cash ( an laziness) to better himself and or a whole family in the US and likely back home. He will take your money and bring his family here or support them at home. I think that makes him less of the loser than you think he is.

Yeah. Between PP and the guy who cuts his grass, I think I know which one I'd rather Be around.

Employer of lawn service here. Point out in my post where I said the guy who cuts my grass is a "loser" or that I "think he is" a loser. Or even implied that.

Here's what I do think: I think he and the millions of bilingual people living in the US aren't necessarily geniuses with massive advantages over monolingual people in the US.

This contradicts the Kool-Aid fueled mantra of many young white DC parents who like to post on DCUM. That is all.

Oops, bolded the wrong quote. Sorry PP that I bolded, I meant this one to be bold.

Isn't it great when people try to defend themselves and then say something equally as racist as their prior post? Really, immigrants who are bilingual and cut grass are not geniuses, what, because they cut your grass? Wow your ignorance is incredible. Do you know how many people in the US were professors or professionals in their home country and cannot get anything at all similar here, so are driving taxis, cutting grass, working as housekeepers? I'm not saying all in those jobs were white collar workers in their home country, but to judge that someone who's bilingual and cuts lawns is not a genius is your racism and ignorance showing yet again.

The number of people who are clear we'd rather hang out with your lawn service guy than you is growing rapidly. I'm not the person who says that above but I totally agree with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Employer of lawn service here. Point out in my post where I said the guy who cuts my grass is a "loser" or that I "think he is" a loser. Or even implied that.

Here's what I do think: I think he and the millions of bilingual people living in the US aren't necessarily geniuses with massive advantages over monolingual people in the US.

This contradicts the Kool-Aid fueled mantra of many young white DC parents who like to post on DCUM. That is all.

Research shows that, all things being equal, bilingual education has brain development and other academic benefits. Your comparison is bogus since you are comparing against a population that had worse education and several other disadvantages from the start.

What percentage increase is it? Are you talking 50% smarter? Or 0.5% smarter?

Smarter than a racist like you.

Well I'm not the lawn service guy, but thanks.
If it means anything to you, I love learning foreign languages and don't have anything against people who work manual labor.

I just don't see huge benefits to immersion. Kind of like people who whine about 'toxins' but don't understand concentration or statistics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people pick immersion because they like the idea of being able to say, "My kid speaks two languages!" It makes their kids sound smarter than your kid .

Do people think that? My maid speaks 2 languages and didn't graduate high school my FIL has 2 PHDs and is monolingual.

I always think this in my head when I see the "monolingual is the new stupid" mantra reposted on DCUM by the kook-aid drinkers.

The guy who cuts my grass in 96 degree weather is also bilingual.

The guy who cuts your grass is also likely a survivor of multiple hardships/atrocities in his home country. He is here taking advantage of your expendable cash ( an laziness) to better himself and or a whole family in the US and likely back home. He will take your money and bring his family here or support them at home. I think that makes him less of the loser than you think he is.

Yeah. Between PP and the guy who cuts his grass, I think I know which one I'd rather Be around.

Employer of lawn service here. Point out in my post where I said the guy who cuts my grass is a "loser" or that I "think he is" a loser. Or even implied that.

Here's what I do think: I think he and the millions of bilingual people living in the US aren't necessarily geniuses with massive advantages over monolingual people in the US.

This contradicts the Kool-Aid fueled mantra of many young white DC parents who like to post on DCUM. That is all.

Oops, bolded the wrong quote. Sorry PP that I bolded, I meant this one to be bold.

Isn't it great when people try to defend themselves and then say something equally as racist as their prior post? Really, immigrants who are bilingual and cut grass are not geniuses, what, because they cut your grass? Wow your ignorance is incredible. Do you know how many people in the US were professors or professionals in their home country and cannot get anything at all similar here, so are driving taxis, cutting grass, working as housekeepers? I'm not saying all in those jobs were white collar workers in their home country, but to judge that someone who's bilingual and cuts lawns is not a genius is your racism and ignorance showing yet again.

The number of people who are clear we'd rather hang out with your lawn service guy than you is growing rapidly. I'm not the person who says that above but I totally agree with them.

[Anonymous]

http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/bilingual-advantage-aging-brain

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Employer of lawn service here. Point out in my post where I said the guy who cuts my grass is a "loser" or that I "think he is" a loser. Or even implied that.

Here's what I do think: I think he and the millions of bilingual people living in the US aren't necessarily geniuses with massive advantages over monolingual people in the US.

This contradicts the Kool-Aid fueled mantra of many young white DC parents who like to post on DCUM. That is all.

Research shows that, all things being equal, bilingual education has brain development and other academic benefits. Your comparison is bogus since you are comparing against a population that had worse education and several other disadvantages from the start.

What percentage increase is it? Are you talking 50% smarter? Or 0.5% smarter?

Smarter than a racist like you.

Well I'm not the lawn service guy, but thanks.
If it means anything to you, I love learning foreign languages and don't have anything against people who work manual labor.

I just don't see huge benefits to immersion. Kind of like people who whine about 'toxins' but don't understand concentration or statistics.

I think the number of pro-immersion people who take offense at those who don't value it is minimal, even though there are obviously one or two on this thread. Almost everyone I know who is excited about immersion is excited about it for THEIR family, and absolutely does NOT judge other families for not valuing it. That would be ridiculous.

PP you don't see huge benefits, that is cool with me. We know why we choose it and are not threatened by anyone who sees it differently. Frankly that leaves room for more kids in the immersion schools whose families really want it, which is best for everyone. And those who don't want it, there are great schools in DC (though not enough of them) for other educational foci. Please don't perceive this discussion as being all people who care whether you approve of it or not, because it's not like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bilingual Benefits

Recent studies show that bilingual students outperform their monolingual peers in a variety of ways. They tend to score better on standardized tests, read sooner, solve problems better, excel at math and have an edge in the workplace.
Higher Test Scores

Evidence supporting bilingual benefits comes from a school district in Florida that specializes in bilingual education. A report from Dr. Joanne H. Urrutia, Director of the district's Bilingual Education and World Languages Department, shows that students who are bilingual scored significantly higher on verbal and math sections of the Florida standardized test than those who spoke only English. Educators compared the verbal and math scores of two groups of fourth and fifth grade students from 16 elementary schools. One group had been taught in a bilingual environment since Kindergarten, learning 60% in English and 40% in another language. The other group had been taught in English only.

The study showed that bilingual students scored 23 to 34 points higher than their monolingual peers in both the verbal and math sections of the Florida test. Urrutia believes the higher math scores may indicate that bilingual students have advanced thinking skills and have a greater ability to think abstractly. The higher verbal scores may be because learning a second language inherently builds more vocabulary and better language skills in not only the students' second language, but also in their first.
Reading Readiness

Recently, York University linguist, Dr. Ellen Bialystok, found that children who are raised bilingual learn to read sooner than their monolingual classmates. In her study, tests were given to preschool children to analyze their understanding of letters. Monolingual children could recite the letters but could not read without the aid of pictures. However, bilingual preschoolers understood the written language without pictures and scored twice as high on language tests. Overall, the bilingual students were better prepared to tie symbols to words and words to meaning.
Problem Solving

Several studies show that bilingual children are better problem solvers. In Dr. Bialystok's studies, both bilingual and monolingual preschool children were asked to look at a picture and solve a problem. Bilingual children were twice as likely to solve the problem than their monolingual peers. It is widely thought that bilingual children are able to tune out one language while speaking the other. And when asked to solve a problem, they use these same editing skills to focus only on what is important and filter out what’s not.
Math

Some studies have shown that the benefits of being bilingual are also evident in math. Because bilingual students are able to think abstractly, conceptualize and solve problems, they use these same skills to excel in math. Students who graduate from FISW tend to be a year ahead in their math classes, often taking 7th grade math.
Social and Economic Rewards

The social and economic rewards of being bilingual are not limited to schooling. Children who use more than one language are also exposed to more than one culture, which leads to building acceptance and understanding of others. In the long term, the ability to communicate in more than language, and the ability to consider different viewpoints and cultures, will provide an economic edge when it’s time to choose a career.

Research and excerpts from "Is English Enough for your 21st Century Baby? - Benefits of Raising Bilingual Babies," by Olga Bichachi. To read the full article, click http://www.spongelearners.com/benefits_and_advantages_of_being_bilingual[/q]
So most of what you wrote is qualitative, so I can't tell what kind of difference it makes. You talk about 23 to 34 points on a test. Is that out of 100 (big deal) or 800 (not a big deal).

Are these studies controlled for SES?

My family is very multicultural, and multilingual, so some of those arguments don't mean much to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bilingual Benefits

Recent studies show that bilingual students outperform their monolingual peers in a variety of ways. They tend to score better on standardized tests, read sooner, solve problems better, excel at math and have an edge in the workplace.
Higher Test Scores

Evidence supporting bilingual benefits comes from a school district in Florida that specializes in bilingual education. A report from Dr. Joanne H. Urrutia, Director of the district's Bilingual Education and World Languages Department, shows that students who are bilingual scored significantly higher on verbal and math sections of the Florida standardized test than those who spoke only English. Educators compared the verbal and math scores of two groups of fourth and fifth grade students from 16 elementary schools. One group had been taught in a bilingual environment since Kindergarten, learning 60% in English and 40% in another language. The other group had been taught in English only.

The study showed that bilingual students scored 23 to 34 points higher than their monolingual peers in both the verbal and math sections of the Florida test. Urrutia believes the higher math scores may indicate that bilingual students have advanced thinking skills and have a greater ability to think abstractly. The higher verbal scores may be because learning a second language inherently builds more vocabulary and better language skills in not only the students' second language, but also in their first.
Reading Readiness

Recently, York University linguist, Dr. Ellen Bialystok, found that children who are raised bilingual learn to read sooner than their monolingual classmates. In her study, tests were given to preschool children to analyze their understanding of letters. Monolingual children could recite the letters but could not read without the aid of pictures. However, bilingual preschoolers understood the written language without pictures and scored twice as high on language tests. Overall, the bilingual students were better prepared to tie symbols to words and words to meaning.
Problem Solving

Several studies show that bilingual children are better problem solvers. In Dr. Bialystok's studies, both bilingual and monolingual preschool children were asked to look at a picture and solve a problem. Bilingual children were twice as likely to solve the problem than their monolingual peers. It is widely thought that bilingual children are able to tune out one language while speaking the other. And when asked to solve a problem, they use these same editing skills to focus only on what is important and filter out what’s not.
Math

Some studies have shown that the benefits of being bilingual are also evident in math. Because bilingual students are able to think abstractly, conceptualize and solve problems, they use these same skills to excel in math. Students who graduate from FISW tend to be a year ahead in their math classes, often taking 7th grade math.
Social and Economic Rewards

The social and economic rewards of being bilingual are not limited to schooling. Children who use more than one language are also exposed to more than one culture, which leads to building acceptance and understanding of others. In the long term, the ability to communicate in more than language, and the ability to consider different viewpoints and cultures, will provide an economic edge when it’s time to choose a career.

Research and excerpts from "Is English Enough for your 21st Century Baby? - Benefits of Raising Bilingual Babies," by Olga Bichachi. To read the full article, click http://www.spongelearners.com/benefits_and_advantages_of_being_bilingual

"It is important to acknowledge that early studies carried out in one-way total immersion programs, where English may not be introduced until grades 2–5, show evidence of a temporary lag in specific English language skills such as spelling, capitalization, punctuation, word knowledge, and word discrimination.[v] That said, these studies also find that within a year or two after instruction in English language arts begins, the lag disappears. There were no long-term negative repercussions to English language or literacy development."

So I just have to trust that my kid will catch up on the English language deficits and that they will properly time the English language instruction. No thanks. http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/documents/ImmersionResearch_TaraFortune.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/bilingual-advantage-aging-brain

For anyone too lazy to read that through, it takes about how some of the advantages of bilingualism are overstayed.

I think that learning foreign language in retirement to stave off dementia sounds awesome and fun. Just not applicable to my young kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bilingual Benefits

Recent studies show that bilingual students outperform their monolingual peers in a variety of ways. They tend to score better on standardized tests, read sooner, solve problems better, excel at math and have an edge in the workplace.
Higher Test Scores

Evidence supporting bilingual benefits comes from a school district in Florida that specializes in bilingual education. A report from Dr. Joanne H. Urrutia, Director of the district's Bilingual Education and World Languages Department, shows that students who are bilingual scored significantly higher on verbal and math sections of the Florida standardized test than those who spoke only English. Educators compared the verbal and math scores of two groups of fourth and fifth grade students from 16 elementary schools. One group had been taught in a bilingual environment since Kindergarten, learning 60% in English and 40% in another language. The other group had been taught in English only.

The study showed that bilingual students scored 23 to 34 points higher than their monolingual peers in both the verbal and math sections of the Florida test. Urrutia believes the higher math scores may indicate that bilingual students have advanced thinking skills and have a greater ability to think abstractly. The higher verbal scores may be because learning a second language inherently builds more vocabulary and better language skills in not only the students' second language, but also in their first.
Reading Readiness

Recently, York University linguist, Dr. Ellen Bialystok, found that children who are raised bilingual learn to read sooner than their monolingual classmates. In her study, tests were given to preschool children to analyze their understanding of letters. Monolingual children could recite the letters but could not read without the aid of pictures. However, bilingual preschoolers understood the written language without pictures and scored twice as high on language tests. Overall, the bilingual students were better prepared to tie symbols to words and words to meaning.
Problem Solving

Several studies show that bilingual children are better problem solvers. In Dr. Bialystok's studies, both bilingual and monolingual preschool children were asked to look at a picture and solve a problem. Bilingual children were twice as likely to solve the problem than their monolingual peers. It is widely thought that bilingual children are able to tune out one language while speaking the other. And when asked to solve a problem, they use these same editing skills to focus only on what is important and filter out what’s not.
Math

Some studies have shown that the benefits of being bilingual are also evident in math. Because bilingual students are able to think abstractly, conceptualize and solve problems, they use these same skills to excel in math. Students who graduate from FISW tend to be a year ahead in their math classes, often taking 7th grade math.
Social and Economic Rewards

The social and economic rewards of being bilingual are not limited to schooling. Children who use more than one language are also exposed to more than one culture, which leads to building acceptance and understanding of others. In the long term, the ability to communicate in more than language, and the ability to consider different viewpoints and cultures, will provide an economic edge when it’s time to choose a career.

Research and excerpts from "Is English Enough for your 21st Century Baby? - Benefits of Raising Bilingual Babies," by Olga Bichachi. To read the full article, click http://www.spongelearners.com/benefits_and_advantages_of_being_bilingual

So most of what you wrote is qualitative, so I can't tell what kind of difference it makes. You talk about 23 to 34 points on a test. Is that out of 100 (big deal) or 800 (not a big deal).

Are these studies controlled for SES?

My family is very multicultural, and multilingual, so some of those arguments don't mean much to me.

Not the PP who posted the article, but the SES status question is a good one, if for no other reason than to make sure they're comparing apples to apples in their study groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/bilingual-advantage-aging-brain

For anyone too lazy to read that through, it takes about how some of the advantages of bilingualism are overstayed.

I think that learning foreign language in retirement to stave off dementia sounds awesome and fun. Just not applicable to my young kids.

Alas, I think most of the evidence of the benefits of bilingualism have been done on subjects who did not learn another language in retirement. That's not to say that it might not be fun or that there might not be benefits. The evidence suggests that there are not only possible benefits to the actually learning but the actual practice of switching languages which requires the frontal lobe to suppress one language when the other is in use. Switching sets and pathway inhibition are examples of executive function which is governed by the frontal cortex of the brain. Executive function is one of the cognitive domains, in addition to memory, that are often affected by dementia.

[Anonymous]

So most of what you wrote is qualitative, so I can't tell what kind of difference it makes. You talk about 23 to 34 points on a test. Is that out of 100 (big deal) or 800 (not a big deal).

The average score on the F CAT is around 300 points. So, 23 points extra points is significant.

http://fcat.fldoe.org/fcatscor.asp

[Anonymous]

I speak 3 foreign languages, two very fluently and one just okay. I learned all of them as an adult and it was exhausting. That said, I love the exposure to another culture that each one of them gives me. I want DC to have access to those cultures and it would be great to not have to learn it all as an adult, which was indeed exhausting.

DH went to an immersion school. While he hardly uses that language now, learning it well as a kid has given him a leg up on the other foreign languages that he has learned as an adult.

Above noted, I don't think it is the MOST important thing in a school. You can support language learning at home if you have the commitment to do so. But I do feel that it us going to be a lot easier with DC at an immersion school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bilingual Benefits

Recent studies show that bilingual students outperform their monolingual peers in a variety of ways. They tend to score better on standardized tests, read sooner, solve problems better, excel at math and have an edge in the workplace.
Higher Test Scores

Evidence supporting bilingual benefits comes from a school district in Florida that specializes in bilingual education. A report from Dr. Joanne H. Urrutia, Director of the district's Bilingual Education and World Languages Department, shows that students who are bilingual scored significantly higher on verbal and math sections of the Florida standardized test than those who spoke only English. Educators compared the verbal and math scores of two groups of fourth and fifth grade students from 16 elementary schools. One group had been taught in a bilingual environment since Kindergarten, learning 60% in English and 40% in another language. The other group had been taught in English only.

The study showed that bilingual students scored 23 to 34 points higher than their monolingual peers in both the verbal and math sections of the Florida test. Urrutia believes the higher math scores may indicate that bilingual students have advanced thinking skills and have a greater ability to think abstractly. The higher verbal scores may be because learning a second language inherently builds more vocabulary and better language skills in not only the students' second language, but also in their first.
Reading Readiness

Recently, York University linguist, Dr. Ellen Bialystok, found that children who are raised bilingual learn to read sooner than their monolingual classmates. In her study, tests were given to preschool children to analyze their understanding of letters. Monolingual children could recite the letters but could not read without the aid of pictures. However, bilingual preschoolers understood the written language without pictures and scored twice as high on language tests. Overall, the bilingual students were better prepared to tie symbols to words and words to meaning.
Problem Solving

Several studies show that bilingual children are better problem solvers. In Dr. Bialystok's studies, both bilingual and monolingual preschool children were asked to look at a picture and solve a problem. Bilingual children were twice as likely to solve the problem than their monolingual peers. It is widely thought that bilingual children are able to tune out one language while speaking the other. And when asked to solve a problem, they use these same editing skills to focus only on what is important and filter out what’s not.
Math

Some studies have shown that the benefits of being bilingual are also evident in math. Because bilingual students are able to think abstractly, conceptualize and solve problems, they use these same skills to excel in math. Students who graduate from FISW tend to be a year ahead in their math classes, often taking 7th grade math.
Social and Economic Rewards

The social and economic rewards of being bilingual are not limited to schooling. Children who use more than one language are also exposed to more than one culture, which leads to building acceptance and understanding of others. In the long term, the ability to communicate in more than language, and the ability to consider different viewpoints and cultures, will provide an economic edge when it’s time to choose a career.

Research and excerpts from "Is English Enough for your 21st Century Baby? - Benefits of Raising Bilingual Babies," by Olga Bichachi. To read the full article, click http://www.spongelearners.com/benefits_and_advantages_of_being_bilingual[/q]
So most of what you wrote is qualitative, so I can't tell what kind of difference it makes. You talk about 23 to 34 points on a test. Is that out of 100 (big deal) or 800 (not a big deal).

Are these studies controlled for SES?

My family is very multicultural, and multilingual, so some of those arguments don't mean much to me.

Facts about how research on this topic was cherry-picked by those who published studies as discussed on NPR Science Friday. http://www.npr.org/2015/01/28/382056490/studies-critical-of-bilingual-benefits-often-shelved-because-of-bias

"What it does suggest, though, is that the brain benefits of bilingualism - that idea might be a little more complicated than has been presented so far."

Many bilingual and multi-lingual speakers in this country and others do not have the advantage that others so often spout, as some have suggested there are many other factors at issue, poverty, literacy, and SES are some. The OP asked why WOULDN'T you pick immersion, not to deride others but to get an alternative perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bilingual Benefits

Recent studies show that bilingual students outperform their monolingual peers in a variety of ways. They tend to score better on standardized tests, read sooner, solve problems better, excel at math and have an edge in the workplace.
Higher Test Scores

Evidence supporting bilingual benefits comes from a school district in Florida that specializes in bilingual education. A report from Dr. Joanne H. Urrutia, Director of the district's Bilingual Education and World Languages Department, shows that students who are bilingual scored significantly higher on verbal and math sections of the Florida standardized test than those who spoke only English. Educators compared the verbal and math scores of two groups of fourth and fifth grade students from 16 elementary schools. One group had been taught in a bilingual environment since Kindergarten, learning 60% in English and 40% in another language. The other group had been taught in English only.

The study showed that bilingual students scored 23 to 34 points higher than their monolingual peers in both the verbal and math sections of the Florida test. Urrutia believes the higher math scores may indicate that bilingual students have advanced thinking skills and have a greater ability to think abstractly. The higher verbal scores may be because learning a second language inherently builds more vocabulary and better language skills in not only the students' second language, but also in their first.
Reading Readiness

Recently, York University linguist, Dr. Ellen Bialystok, found that children who are raised bilingual learn to read sooner than their monolingual classmates. In her study, tests were given to preschool children to analyze their understanding of letters. Monolingual children could recite the letters but could not read without the aid of pictures. However, bilingual preschoolers understood the written language without pictures and scored twice as high on language tests. Overall, the bilingual students were better prepared to tie symbols to words and words to meaning.
Problem Solving

Several studies show that bilingual children are better problem solvers. In Dr. Bialystok's studies, both bilingual and monolingual preschool children were asked to look at a picture and solve a problem. Bilingual children were twice as likely to solve the problem than their monolingual peers. It is widely thought that bilingual children are able to tune out one language while speaking the other. And when asked to solve a problem, they use these same editing skills to focus only on what is important and filter out what’s not.
Math

Some studies have shown that the benefits of being bilingual are also evident in math. Because bilingual students are able to think abstractly, conceptualize and solve problems, they use these same skills to excel in math. Students who graduate from FISW tend to be a year ahead in their math classes, often taking 7th grade math.
Social and Economic Rewards

The social and economic rewards of being bilingual are not limited to schooling. Children who use more than one language are also exposed to more than one culture, which leads to building acceptance and understanding of others. In the long term, the ability to communicate in more than language, and the ability to consider different viewpoints and cultures, will provide an economic edge when it’s time to choose a career.

Research and excerpts from "Is English Enough for your 21st Century Baby? - Benefits of Raising Bilingual Babies," by Olga Bichachi. To read the full article, click http://www.spongelearners.com/benefits_and_advantages_of_being_bilingual[/q]
So most of what you wrote is qualitative, so I can't tell what kind of difference it makes. You talk about 23 to 34 points on a test. Is that out of 100 (big deal) or 800 (not a big deal).

Are these studies controlled for SES?

My family is very multicultural, and multilingual, so some of those arguments don't mean much to me.

Facts about how research on this topic was cherry-picked by those who published studies as discussed on NPR Science Friday. http://www.npr.org/2015/01/28/382056490/studies-cr...-often-shelved-because-of-bias

"What it does suggest, though, is that the brain benefits of bilingualism - that idea might be a little more complicated than has been presented so far."

Many bilingual and multi-lingual speakers in this country and others do not have the advantage that others so often spout, as some have suggested there are many other factors at issue, poverty, literacy, and SES are some. The OP asked why WOULDN'T you pick immersion, not to deride others but to get an alternative perspective.