Executive functions in two-way dual-language education: A mechanism for academic performance

Children across the United States are increasingly learning academic content through two-way dual-language education (http://www.cal.org/twi/). This education model provides instruction through two languages in classrooms comprised of approximately equal numbers of native and non-native English speakers. For both language groups, this educational model is an effective approach for achieving second-language fluency (García & Náñez, 2011; Lindholm-Leary & Genesee, 2014). Importantly, both native and non-native English speakers in dual-language education programs perform as well or better academically than their peers in mainstream English classrooms (e.g., Marian, Shook, & Schroeder, 2013; Steele et al., 2017). However, the mechanisms that explain this academic advantage remain to be understood. We examined the possibility that enhanced executive functions through second-language exposure underlie the academic benefits of dual-language education in a rural, low-income, sample of elementary school students. Dual-language education and participating school system.