Abstract

Addressing the need to change the focus from a deficit-model to an asset-model in American public schools, this paper reports on a program designed to foster success for bilingual middle school students by training them in the skills of translation and interpreting. The study explores the impact of this Young Interpreters Program on participants’ academic achievement in a diverse, urban public school. Along with a description of the school site, the conception and implementation of the Young Interpreters Program is described. Standardized test scores, observations, and interviews are analyzed to describe the effects of the program on the academic achievement of a group of Spanish-English bilingual adolescents at a school site in California. Results show significant, positive effects on participants’ academic achievement, revealing the benefits inherent to diverse school settings and the need to promote students’ assets.