In the article “Why are ESL students left behind?” written by journalist Andrew Duffy in 2004, he examines the cause and effects of English as a second language in education. By having different perspectives of the professional researchers of ESL studies as evidence, the author discusses the disadvantages that students faced. “For every one of the ESL kids who makes it, there are hundreds who don’t.” (Roessigh, 2004, para.4) However, in the article “Inclusion or Exclusion? The ESL Education Debate” written by Grace Chen in April 7th, 2009 for the Public School Review website, discusses how to enhance ESL students learning and at the same time the public schools are coping with reduced funding due to the economic recession. The 2001 national mandate, No Child Left Behind, required that all public schools help ESL students become proficient in English, as both native speaker and ESL students are mandated to meet State and National achievement standards. (The Multicultural Education Journal) Nevertheless, when fifty percent of school-age children will have non-English speaking backgrounds by 2020, how do such programs improve ESL students’ English?
While analyzing the article “Why are ESL students left behind?” I question the reliability because it is a secondary source that