美国政府高级教育官员希望学校在教导第一语言并非英语的学生上做得更好。
U.S. Education Secretary John King said the issue is important. That is because one in every 10 U.S. students from grades Kindergarten to 12th grade are English learners.
美国教育部长约翰·金（John King）称这个问题非常重要。这是因为从幼儿园到12年级的学生中，每十个就有一个是英语学习者。
Most English learners arrive from a country that speaks another language, or have parents from a non-English-speaking country.
大多数英语学习者来自于说另一门语言的国家，或者他们的父母来自非英语国家。
There has been progress in recent years, King said. He noted Spanish-speaking students are graduating high school and attending college at higher rates than ever before.
金表示，最近几年取得了一些进展。他指出，讲西班牙语的学生高中毕业进入大学的比例超过了以往。
"But in too many places across the country, English learners get less -- less access to quality teachers, less access to advanced coursework, less access to the resources they need to succeed," King said.
金表示，“但是在美国很多地方，英语学习者较少能接触到高质量教师、高端课程以及他们成功所需的资源。”
King said a new federal law called the Every Student Succeeds Act can help. It allows school districts more ways to use federal money to improve programs for English learners. That includes better training for English language teachers.
金表示，一项名为《让每个学生成功法》的新联邦法案可以提供帮助。该法案允许学区多方面利用联邦资金改善面向英语学习者的课程，其中包括对英语教师进行更好的培训。
Kelly Gonez is a policy adviser at the Department of Education.
凯利·戈内斯（Kelly Gonez）是美国教育部的一名政策顾问。
She said research shows giving instruction in two languages, English and the student's native language, is better for English learners.
她表示，研究表明以英语和学生母语这两种语言来授课更有利于英语学习者。
Although it takes them a little longer to master English, they do better on tests that measure reading and math skills, Gonez said.
戈内斯表示，虽然这需要花费他们一点时间来掌握英语，但是他们在阅读和数学考试上也能表现更好。
So do people who enter dual-language programs already proficient in English, Gonez said. To be proficient means able to read and speak a language.
戈内斯表示，这些就读双语课程的学生也已经熟练掌握英语。熟练掌握意味着他们能够阅读和说一门语言。
Sarah Catherine Moore is director of online learning at the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington D.C.
莎拉凯·瑟琳·摩尔（Sarah Catherine Moore）是华盛顿特区应用语言学中心的在线学习总监。
She said two recent studies found English learners do better if they attend classes that use both English and the student's native language.
她说，最近的两项研究发现，如果英语学习者就读同时使用英语及其母语授课的课程，他们就能表现更好。
But Gonez said such programs are still not offered by a majority of schools teaching English learners.
但是戈内斯表示，大多数教导英语学习者的学校仍然没有提供这类课程。
One problem is finding enough qualified teachers. Gonez said some school districts are hiring teachers from Spain and China. They are trying to make up for a shortage of teachers in the United States who can offer instruction in two languages.
问题之一就是找不到足够多的合格教师。戈内斯表示，一些学区开始雇佣来自西班牙和中国的教师。他们正试图弥补美国可以使用两门语言教学的教师的短缺。
But such programs are not always easy to set up.
但是设立这类课程并不总是那么容易。
In New York City, for example, the city's Department of Education says its students speak a total of 180 different languages.
以纽约市为例，该市教育局表示，他们的学生一共说180种不同的语言。
About sixty percent are Spanish speakers, and another 14 percent are Chinese speakers.
大约有60%讲西班牙语，另外14%讲中文。
It also has 6,546 students who speak Bengali, 6,501 who speak Arabic, and 3,591 who speak Haitian-Creole. Thousands more speak Russian or Punjabi.
还有6546名学生讲孟加拉语，6501名学生讲阿拉伯语，以及3591名学生讲海地-克里奥尔语。还有数千人讲俄语或旁遮普语。
Gonez said that it may be hard to find instructors who can speak all the different languages spoken by students. But she said schools can get educational material in many more languages than just Spanish and Chinese.
戈内斯表示，可能很难找到这种教师，会说学生们说的所有不同语言。但是她表示，学校可以购买更多语种的教材，而不仅仅是西班牙语和汉语。
Terry Richards is in charge of federal programs for the state of Delaware. She welcomes the new federal education law. It will allow state and local education departments to make more decisions about how to teach English learners, she said.
特里·理查兹（Terry Richards）负责特拉华州的联邦课程。她对新的联邦教育法表示欢迎。她说，这部法案将会允许各州和地方教育部门在如何教导英语学习者方面做出更多决定。
Richards said the law permits local school districts to consider "local" needs in developing English education programs.
理查兹表示，该法案允许地方学区在开发英语教育课程时考虑地方需求。
I'm Bruce Alpert.
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