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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Please don't crucify me for asking, but I really don't understand why so many parents prioritize language immersion. I fell prey to this myself and was crushed when we didn't get our top pick in the lottery. However, now that i know my child better, I'm fairly certain DC would have struggled in a dual language environment. And as a result, we would have struggled as a family to support DC.

Are there academic studies that show immersion is really better? Or is this this just the current parent obsession?[/quote]

We had the option of a language immersion or English track and we chose the English track and it was the right decision.  We were more interested in the kids learning how to read and write well in English and be able to learn math and science in English.   The foreign language track can be another obstacle for some kids.[/quote]

Good for you.  Language immersion programs are faddish.  [b]They come at the expense of learning English.[/b]  If an American family has no real connection to to the culture or language, and the language isn't Spanish, the likelihood that the kid will still speak the language as teenagers, let alone adults, isn't high.  [b]New research indicates that the famous "cognitive boost" bilingual adults enjoy is pretty much BS.[/b] [/quote]

Here is an article from 12/2017 summarizing what's currently known from research about the language immersion schooling models widely implemented in the US in 2017.  http://carla.umn.edu/immersion/documents/ImmersionResearch_TaraFortune.html

Regarding concerns that these programs come at the cost of learning English:
 
[quote]Initial concerns about the possible detriment to English language and literacy development were eventually laid to rest. English-proficient immersion students who achieved relatively high levels of second-language proficiency also acquired higher levels of English language skills and metalinguistic awareness—that is, the ability to think about how various parts of a language function. Researchers posit that metalinguistic skills positively impact learning to read in alphabetic languages, because it facilitates the development of critical literacy sub-skills such as phonological awareness and knowledge of letter-sound correspondences for word decoding.[/quote]

Regarding the  "cognitive boost" bilingual adults enjoy:

[quote]There's a well-established positive relationship between basic thinking skills and being a fully proficient bilingual who maintains regular use of both languages.  Fully proficient bilinguals outperform monolinguals in the areas of divergent thinking, pattern recognition, and problem solving.[/quote]

The important question is whether immersion education provides a similar boost:

[quote]While much evidence supports the benefits associated with full and active bilingualism, the relationship between language immersion education and long-term cognitive benefits is as yet less well-understood.  Some research does indicate greater cognitive flexibility and better nonverbal problem-solving abilities among English-proficient language immersion students.

Decades ago, Dr. Jim Cummins cautioned about the need for a certain threshold level of second language proficiency before cognitive skills might be positively impacted. Accordingly, children who develop "partial bilingualism" in a second language may or may not experience cognitive benefits. While some studies report positive cognitive effects for partial or emerging bilinguals, Dr. Ellen Bialystok concurs that it is bilingual children with a more balanced and competent mastery of both languages who will predictably exhibit the positive cognitive consequences of bilingualism.[/quote]

So the bottom line for me is that being a fully multi-lingual adult is great.   It's not clear that enrolling your kid in an immersion program without substantial support at home just to get a cognitive boost is a good use of time or effort for adults or for the kid.  As a family that speaks Spanish, it's great for us that our kid was able to do Spanish immersion.  As a Hebrew speaker who hasn't used the language since the 90s when I lived in Israel, it's not clear to me, for example, what benefit my kid would get from attending Sela, for example.
[/quote]

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