To the statement that "transitional bilingual education programs are ineffective," I would respond that the success of such programs depends upon a variety of factors. For example, the age of the student group would be an important factor. In this regard, Jang (1995) has noted that there is a tendency for transition programs involving early-childhood-to-elementary school transitions to be more successful than programs where students are older and are making different transitions, e.g. the transition from elementary school to middle school.
Jang also points out that the same program itself could vary in success from school to school depending upon differences in a variety of factors. For example, if a school implements a program and supports it with such activities as shared leadership, comprehensive and integrated services, family involvement and empowerment, cultural and linguistic sensitivity, family-school communication, joint staff development, developmentally appropriate practices, and evaluation of program outcomes and effectiveness, it is going to be more successful than if that same program is utilized in another school without these supportive activities.
What Jang (1995) is saying here is that effectiveness is not static from program to program but dependent upon such factors as the age of the student, whether the content of the program is developmentally appropriate, the kind of transition being made, and the extent to which the program is backed up supportive services. In an earlier article, Jang and Mangione (1994) stated that another factor that can affect the effectiveness of transitional bilingual education and other transitional programs is whether the child experiences a smooth or abrupt transition. In other words, a good program could exist but if the transition itself is difficult for the child, the program's effectiveness will not be maximal.
To minimize difficulties in making this transition,...