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El éxito de una política de educación escolar en Colombia:
mucho más que bilingüismo

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O sucesso de uma política de educação escolar na Colômbia: muito mais do que bilinguismo

Recibido:24-03-2021
Aprobado:25-05-2021

¹ Camilo Ramos Pineda ² María Cristina Gamboa Mora ³ Mónica Morales Barrera

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22490/27452115.5308

Abstract

Regarding the attempts of Colombia to be a bilingual nation and the delayed objectives of the National Bilingual Program, this research study evaluates the school education policy with an emphasis on bilingualism of the Provincia de Quebec School. Family, socioeconomic, motivational, and pedagogical-didactic factors were analyzed. New context indicators were formulated through hermeneutic triangulation to show the State the reasons causing the delay of achievements. Evidence shows that there were excellent academic results in English and a better coexistence: this proved that the school policy had a positive impact that could be implemented in other schools.

Keywords

School policy, policy evaluation, National Bilingual Program, incidence factors in bilingualism, education.

Resumen

En relación a los intentos de Colombia por ser una nación bilingüe y el rezago en los objetivos del Programa Nacional de Bilingüismo, esta investigación evalúa la política educativa escolar con énfasis en el bilingüismo del colegio Provincia de Quebec. Se analizan factores familiares, socioeconómicos, motivacionales y pedagógico-didácticos y, mediante la triangulación hermenéutica, se formulan nuevos indicadores de contexto para mostrar al Estado las razones que inciden en el rezago de los logros. Se encontró que existen excelentes resultados académicos en inglés y una buena mejora de la convivencia que demuestran que la política escolar tuvo un impacto positivo que podría ser replicado en otras escuelas.

Palabras clave

política educativa, evaluación de políticas, Programa Nacional de Bilingüismo, factores de incidencia en el bilingüismo, educación

Resumo

Sobre as tentativas da Colômbia de ser uma nação bilingüe e o atraso nos objetivos do Programa Nacional de Bilinguismo, esta pesquisa avalia a política de educação escolar com ênfase no bilinguismo da Escola da Província de Quebec. São analizados atores-fatores familiares, socioeconômicos, motivacionais e pedagógico-didáticos e, por meio da triangulação hermenêutica; novos indicadores de contexto são formulados para mostrar ao Estado os motivos que afetam a defasagem nas realizações. Constatou-se que existem excelentes resultados acadêmicos em inglês e uma boa melhora na convivência que mostram que a política escolar teve um impacto positivo que poderia ser replicado em outras escolas.

Palavras chave

política educacional, avaliação de políticas, Programa Nacional de Bilinguismo, fatores de incidência no bilinguismo, educação.

Introduction

National or local policies play an important role as progress depends on them. According to Masino & Niño-Zarazúa (2016):

Education policy has been increasingly the object of research, for its intrinsic importance but also for its instrumental value in the improvement of society. (…) emphasized the role of schooling in determining the returns to education that ultimately foster economic grow. (p. 53)

Within the frame of public policies, the most related to society are the educational ones. “Education is a social phenomenon – a part of social reality. Society and its specific features determine what is to be achieved through educational practice” (Kimonen, 2015, p. 4). It is therefore important to design, to apply, and to evaluate policies constantly. In addition, Shohamy (2001) holds that evaluations are power tools for making important changes in the humanity. Society should focus not only on creating polices but also on evaluating them regularly.
The Colombian policy on the National Bilingual Program is preceded by other policies regarding virtually the same general objective: to encourage bilingualism in Colombia. Nevertheless, the government established specific objectives only until the implementation of the 2004-2019 National Bilingual Program: high-school students should reach B1 level, while teachers should certify B2. In higher education, future English teachers, i.e. students majoring in English, should graduate with B2+ or C1, while students of other degrees are expected to reach B2 level at the end of the program. Languages institutions should also be certified. In summary, the State has the following objective having citizens able to communicate in English in such a way that they move the country into universal communication processes, into the global economy, and into a cultural openness with internationally comparable standards. (Ministerio de Educación Nacional de Colombia, 2006, cited by Guerrero, 2008, p.33).
The National Bilingual Program
The Ministry of Education implemented different actions to achieve the objectives of the 2004-2019 National Bilingual Program: The National Training Service –(Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA)– was one of the institutions that participated in the National Bilingual Program, as reported by Periódico SENA (2010). SENA offered online courses on languages to help people interested in learning a second language. SENA also carried out technology strategies such as the implementation of the audiovisual program called Aprendamos inglés con las aventuras de Bunny Bonita, which intended to encourage communicative competences in the basic education of the public sector (Ministerio de Educación Nacional, 2012).
Law 1651 of 2013 was enacted to create a legal basis for bilingualism in Colombia. The Congress of Colombia (2013) found it necessary to develop communicative competences: to read, to comprehend, to write, to listen, to speak and to express properly in a foreign language.
In addition, the Ministry of National Education (2016) reported that more than COP 26,200 million were invested for the development of the project called Formadores Extranjeros. Several public schools benefit. Four hundred English native speakers arrived in Colombia in January 2016. In June 2016, forty foreigners arrived to complete the group of six hundred participants. Their mission was to promote English learning in 350 schools of the country.
Consequently, the State has signed different partnership agreements with a variety of companies to achieve the goal of a bilingual country. Guerrero (2008) states that Colombia, like some other countries in Latin America and in the world, has adopted language policies aimed at spreading English as a foreign language. In 2011, for example, Minister Campos and the director of the British Council in Colombia, Robert Ness, signed a detailed program of consultancies on English teaching to be developed by the British Council within the framework of the ambitious National Bilingual Program of Colombia (Ministerio de Educación Nacional, 2016).
Colombia is aware of the need to provide a good quality education to have a better society: “implementing the right to education fully and equitably is a challenge (…) realizing the right to education also opens the door to the full enjoyment of other rights, including the rights to health, civil and political participation, and work” (Heymann et al. 2014). However, the objective to achieve a bilingual Colombia seems to be far: “While progress has been made, the goal of an English-speaking population by 2019 is largely felt to be unattainable” (British Council, 2015).
Although the government has made investments and efforts to meet this purpose, but it is common to listen to the news about the failure of this project. According to Portafolio (2017) reported that, Colombian people are not successful in the English language. In this way, it is uncertain if Colombia will become bilingual.
Finally, the Ministry launched, Colombia, la mejor educada en el 2025, which consisted in implementing bilingual Bogotá programs that expired in 2015 in 10 years or the National Bilingual Program that expired in 2019. This new project seeks to make Colombia the best educated country in Latin America by 2025 and, of course, the most proficient in English.
In Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, there are many public and private schools, all of them with different results. Public schools approach the lowest level. “In Colombia, the poorest students and those attending rural and urban public schools are at an increased risk of vulnerability, i.e., a greater the risk of having insufficient language capabilities, as measured by the SABER standardized exam” (Duarte, Bos & Moreno, 2012, p. 41). Provincia de Quebec school is a public and semi-rural one, but with different results.
The school education policy
The Provincia de Quebec school had, as most public schools, low results in English. Correa & González (2016) argue that the programs of all public schools have been remarkably similar in their objectives and their mechanisms; the government set out to solve the problem of low English proficiency in schools giving the freedom to create projects. This school took advantage of this and created a bilingual program which was launched eleven years ago, but there was no progress. In Saber exam, this school obtained low level of English.
Additionally, the Provincia de Quebec School had coexistence problems: weapons, discrimination, fights, robberies, verbal and physical aggression and bullying, among others. “Several studies, some of them conducted in Colombia, show that a violent context leads to a higher risk of children developing aggressive behaviors, particularly as a result of the effects of violence on cognitive and socio-emotional processes” (Chaux, 2009, p.13 ). In addition, this violence is accompanied by teenage pregnancy, which is very common in public institutions and low social strata.
The Provincia de Quebec School, in light of the poor academic results and social problems, decided, with the help of the school’s management, to initiate an action plan: During the years 2013 and 2014 teachers, parents, and students were surveyed in relation to the implementation of Academic Media Program in the school (a program developed after classes to improve co mmunicative skills). The majority voted for English and arts; the two intensification programs were called art and design, and bilingualism and communication.
The school required teachers with a C1 certificate. They also implemented English from pre-school to 11th grade and increased the number of class hours of English and Spanish subjects, given that good performance in the mother tongue is essential to learn a foreign language. “One model is based on the ‘additive bilingualism’ approach in which children’s home languages and culture are maintained and valued, while at the same time providing a platform on which the second language can be acquired” (Chunyan, 2005, p.7).
Two classrooms were designated as the specialized rooms for bilingualism and arts. The first was equipped with a photocopier, forty new computers, a projector, new chairs and desks, textbooks, and teaching material; the second was equipped with forty new computers, a compressor, paints, brushes, and easels. An annual exclusive budget was also allocated to meet the needs of these two rooms. The teachers of these subjects should be specialized in these areas.
Furthermore, the school counseling office started a strong work that included a school for parents and permanent assistance to students for coexistence and academic situa-tions. In addition, the school allocated budget for sex education. The coordination of the school also initiated a constant monitoring of special attention cases and parents were included in the whole process of their children: more than twenty parents were invited on a daily basis to inform them of their children’s progress and difficulties. The commitment of the parents to the whole process of each child was requested. In fact, family accompaniment was evaluated periodically and included on the report card as an additional subject that was graded from 1.0 to 5.0.
The syllabus was modified: it was interrelated from pre-school to ele-venth grade. International mock tests (Starters, Movers, Flyers, KET, and PET) were included, and the suggested English curriculum and the Basic Learning Rights (DBA in Spanish) were considered. English Day was considered as an important yearly event for the school, so budget was allocated in the Annual Operational Plan (POA in Spanish) for this event.
The Academic Media Program created its own curriculum in collaboration with the University of San Buenaventura. This document is not only focused on learning a foreign language (English in this case), but it is also designed for courses such as language and culture, arts and society, history, modern society, and focused on the four English skills Reading, writing, speaking and listening. Certainly, the syllabus for arts was not only related to artistic work; it included subjects such as orality and writing, basic design, artistic foundation, color theory, spatial perception, basic Photoshop, art history, and artistic drawing.
The fact that students approached this variety of subjects allowed them not only to learn arts and English, but also to develop different skills and competences according to the curriculum and the subjects mentioned above. They worked on critical thinking, reading comprehension, inference, logic, and argumentative, deductive, and proactive competences.

Method

In view of the need to analyze family, socio-economic, motivational, and pedagogical-didactic factors in the incidence of learning, specifically in English, the type of research is descriptive-projective with a mixed paradigm. According to Pereira (2011), mixed designs allow researchers to combine paradigms to choose better opportunities to approach important research problems. In this way, this study uses tools such as the Saber tests that are basically standardized exams that are easy to analyze and proper to obtain quantitative information. Structured surveys were conducted to analyze the aforementioned incidence factors; this information is qualitative, since it reflects opinions, comments, and feelings of the participants in the classroom, as well as the family and the socio-economic environment of the students. The triangulation of this information shows descriptive data.
The methodological framework of the research was consolidated by answering the following questions: how is it possible to solve the problem? (type of projective evaluative research), what is the epistemological current that guides the process? (structuralist research approach), what level of knowledge will be necessary to understand of the phenomenon? (level of comprehensive and integrative research), what form of data collection or information is required during the construction of knowledge to address the problem? (paradigm: mixed).
According to this, the research proposal was categorized as descriptive-projective, because its objective was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the institutional policy of the Provincia de Quebec School based on the quantitative analysis of the tests in the area of English, the national test (Saber 11), and, as a complement, proposed context indicators resulting from a process of inquiry to educational actors. In this way, the research aims to propose actions to achieve the objectives of the National Bilingual Program. In addition,

Evaluative research exists today because of the nature of our society (…) there is a concern for assessing the effectiveness of social action problems. Educators, legislators and businessmen are but a few who recognize the importance of evaluation for increasing efficiency. (Longest, 1975, p.8).

According to Pérez (2008), several researchers think that structuralism is not properly a school but a methodological approach to the study of social sciences. In the same way, Moragón (2007) holds that structuralism is primarily a current of anthropology. The focus of this research is structuralist in accordance with the school of philosophical current of structuralism, which is based on the models or structures that govern human phenomena.
The level of research was set up according to the objectives: integrative level, given that the school education policy and the National Bilingual Program are evaluated, and the formulation of context indicators was performed as a contribution to the National Bilingual Program. In addition, “Authors (…) prefer the label mixed research or integrative research rather than mixed methods research” (Johnson, Onwuegbuzie & Turner, 2007, p. 141).
The idea of the mixed research paradigm is reinforced because the evaluation of the school policy forms the case that was analyzed in a qualitative and quantitative way to address the problem. This process is determined as multimethod research study according to Hernández, Fernández, and Baptista (2014), since it combines qualitative and quantitative aspects to delimit and verify the proposed hypotheses. Hernández and Mendoza, (2008), cited by Hernández, Fernández, and Baptista (2014), state that mixed methods represent a set of systematic, empirical, and critical processes of research, as well as its integration and discussion, to make inferences as a result of all the information collected and to better understand the phenomenon.
Consequently, a case was established as a method to describe the policy (phenomenon), to understand the phenomenon, to determine causes, and to structure knowledge from the participants’ point of view (participatory qualitative policy evaluation model). In the qualitative phase and in the quantitative phase, the variance of the scores obtained by students in English of the Saber 11 national exam in the periods 2013-2, 2014-2, 2015-2, 2016-2, and 2017-2: the calculated means were verify to see if they are equal or different. Similarly, the incidence or effect of the indicators of the family socio-economic factor on student performance was established.
The hypotheses were constructed considering the need to establish a correlation between the basic and context indicators defined in the Saber 11 exam for the periods between 2013-2 and 2017-2. Finally, context indicators were formulated as a contribution to the National Bilingual Program. Other hypotheses were: if the evaluation of a school education policy reflects indicators of effectiveness, then these can be transferred as context indicators as alternatives to solve the problem posed by the National Bilingual Program. Almaki (2016) supports the use of hypotheses in mixed case studies; he researches into the integration of quantitative and qualitative data in mixed methods research with the hypothesis that, despite its challenges, it is a contribution to different studies. On the other hand, Muñoz (2013) believes that mixed research offers opportunities to create new hypotheses, since it aims to discover the paradox and the contradiction of new perspectives, of reformulation of questions or results of a method with the questions, or the results of another method.
Finally, this research study, through methodological triangulation, established the relation between the variables that were grouped into the basic and context indicators within the framework of the Saber 11 exam. This research study was conducted to seek predictions and to formulate the indicators from the following components: school policy with an emphasis on bilingualism, National Bilingual Program and incidence factors; these are context indicators making contributions to the National Bilingual Program (impact policy and evaluation model). Once the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative information was completed, hermeneutic triangulation was implemented as an action that gathe red and crossed, in a dialectical way, all the relevant information forming the corpus of research results through conclusions, recommendations, and suggestions (Cisterna, 2005).

Qualitative Phase

Stage 1. Analysis of the National Bilingual Program and School education policy with an emphasis on bilingualism of the Provincia de Quebec School through the Bardach model. The documentary analysis, according to Castillo (2004), consisted of three processes:

• A communication process, which enabled and allowed the recovery of information to be transmitted.
• A transformation process, in which a primary document submitted for analysis became another secondary document that is easier to access and disseminate.
• An analytical-synthetic process because the information studied was interpreted and synthesized to originate a new document.

Another important aspect to note is that, according to Arias (2012), documentary analysis comprises the search, recovery, analysis, criticism, and interpretation of secondary data; the sources can be printed and electronic. The process starts with a preliminary reading of the documents and then analysis categories are established considering the research problem; the documents are analyzed based on categories, which are the key pivots to address the problem. Finally, organized information is critically analyzed regarding the research problem, determining possible knowledge gaps for future research.
Stage 2. Preparation of stimulating questions and flexible questions for discussion: The questions guide the discussion from the most general to the specific authors. Aigneren (2002); Boucher (2003); Lewis-Beck, Bryman, & Futing (2004); and Krueger (2006) recommend starting with a brainstorm to design a matrix of thematic dimensions and potential questions in order to select the final questions from a preliminary pilot test; Escobar & Bonilla-Jiménez (2009) suggest that the five or six most appropriate and pertinent questions should be selected in this check.
Stage 3. Validation of instruments (guiding questions for interviews and focus groups). National and international expert validation was carried out and field validation is a pilot project at the San Isidro Sur Oriental IED School.
Stage 4. In-depth interview and focus groups: Focus groups, unlike a quantitative survey or questionnaire, can provide more elaborate results and resolve the clarifications resulting from a quantitative survey; this can help find the reasons for some contradictions as indicated by authors such as Lewis-Beck, Bryman, & Futing, 2004; Rigler, 1987; Escobar & Bonilla-Jiménez; 2009).
Stage 5. Selection of the moderator: Boucher (2003) affirms that it is essential that the moderator knows the subject well to cause controversy; it can be the researcher or an expert, who knows the subject well and has capacity of interpretation, group dynamics management, efficient time control, and assertiveness.

Quantitative Phase

Stage 1. Selection of variables from the ICFES database. (2017). The ICFES databases, corresponding to the periods 2013-2, 2014-2, 2015-2, 2016-2, and 2017-2, are taken as a source with the aim of determining the incidence of socioeconomic and family factors and their relation to student performance.
Stage 2. Sample data of Saber 11 exam participants in the periods 2013-2017.
Stage 3. Correlations between variables and the impact of school policy on the academic performance (scores in the English component of the Saber 11 exam.
Statistical information from the ICFES database makes it possible to establish the means obtained by students for the periods from 2013-2 to 2017-2. Subsequently, data variance analysis was carried out through the Levene test to determine the equality of the variances for the calculated variable (score in the English component) for two or more groups; this is the case for the periods from 2013-2 to 2017-2.
For the hypothesis test concerning the difference between means, the Tukey test was implemented; this test establishes whether it is possible to create groups by intervals, according to the significant differences between the samples, based on variance analysis.
The Chi-square independence test was also implemented, which is a non-parametric test that determines the existence of an association to a categorical variable. For the development of the test, contingency tables were used in which the data were arranged to be classified by two categorical variables; the categories in one variable appear in the rows and those of the other variable appear in the columns. Each variable has at least two categories, so each cell of the crosstab reflects the total case count for a specific pair of categories. The development of the test was based on the observed comparison and expected frequencies. If values of P <0.05 are obtained, then there is a relationship between the variables, which is used for data processing, Excel, and the statistical program SPSS.
Stage 4. Analysis of TOEFL test results. The results of 11th grade students who took the TOEFL international measurement test were analyzed. It is important to say that all the students that participated in this research are underaged, so their parents submitted a written informed consent.

Triangulation and Hermeneutic Phase

Single stage. Formulation of context indicators. The triangulation of the information collected in qualitative phase and quantitative phase was carried out to establish the context of the school education policy with an emphasis on bilingualism and are presented as contributions to the National Bilingual Program.

Population and Sample

Population: Participants of the National Bilingual Program.

Sample: The Provincia de Quebec School is a case analyzed with the comprehensive research method. The school is located in Bogotá, specifically in Calle 74C Sur No. 14 Este 40. The student population comprises approximately 1,150 students in the morning and afternoon shifts. This institution was selected because it has had a significant improvement on the English component of the Saber exams since the school education policy with an emphasis on bilingualism was implemented. This school could be an educational model of success.
The students of the Provincia de Quebec School take the Saber 11 exam yearly, which evaluates their competence in English language in accordance with the provisions of the ICFES.
The participants of this research study were informed that their identity was protected by using acronyms for data processing. Parents’ authorization was requested in the case of minors, as established by Colombian legislation. The principal of the school granted authorization to conduct the research inside the school.

Samples for focus groups

• Six elementary students and six high school students with high level of competence in English.
• Six elementary students and six high school students with low competence in English.
• Six parents of elementary students and six parents of high school students with high level of competence in English.
• Six parents of elementary students and six parents of high school students with low level of competence in English.
• Six people of the school management. According to Quebec Province School (2018), the school management consists of the principal, two representatives of the teachers of the institution, two representatives of the parents, a representative of the students who are studying the last year offered by the institution, a representative of the alumni of the institution, and a representative of the productive sector.

Samples for in-depth interviews

• Six English teachers.
• One academic and disciplinary coordinator.
• One school counselor.

Sample for historical data collection

Table 1. Number of students taking the Saber 11 exam in the periods from 2013-2 to 2017-2

Provincia de Quebec students that took the Saber 11 exam in the periods from 2013-2 to 2017-2
Period 2013-2	58
Period 2014-2	37
Period 2015-2	47
Period 2016-2	44
Period 2017-2	48

Source: Own elaboration based on the ICFES database

Instruments

To collect information, the Saber 11 exam results for the periods from 2013-2 to 2017-2 were analyzed. To access them, it is possible to visit the ICFES platform and to take the specified amount of students or schools for the sample. The exams contain a to test English proficiency; these tests are based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Foreign Languages (CEFR). This makes it possible to tabulate the information collected, since it is quantitative, and to classify it into five options: A1, A2, B1, B2, and C1. There are annual reports published by the Ministry of National Education that are useful to analyze documentary information, as these reports describe the trend and the average of the tests divided by cities of the country, as well as conclusions and recommendations based on those results.
In-depth interviews were another instrument to perform triangulation of information; this instrument allow the inclusion of qualitative information through research participants’ opinions, comments, and feelings. Additionally, information was collected from focus groups through self-designed instruments, framed in questions to meet the objectives of this study.
All the instruments: focus group questions and in-depth interviews were validated through a pilot stage at the San Isidro Sur Oriental IED, and expert validation is developed by an international and a national pair.

Data Analysis

The Academic Media Program started with students of 10th and 11th grade in 2005. However, the policy focused on the learning of these two subjects: arts and bilingualism. Almost immediately, good results were evident in a comprehensive manner: First, teachers realized that students became increasingly competent, not only in English, but also in the other subjects. Students developed a more academic attitude and completed assignments more diligently. The results in the Saber 11 exam were better, especially in English; consequently, all school teachers and management were awarded a monthly salary bonus in 2006.
Data interpretation: in the period 2013-2, students obtained an average of 43 over 100 points in the English test. The length of the box is equal to the interquartile range: (Length of the box= Interquartile Range [IR], which in this case represents 8 points. The box focuses on 50% of the data that range between 39.00 points (first quartile, Q1) and 47.00 points (third quartile, Q3). The maximum value was 53.00 points and the minimum, 33.00 points. The upper and lower whiskers are symmetrical (6 points upwards and 6 points downwards), indicating equal variability towards high and low scores. The median is 44.018 and, according to their location, the data had a slightly asymmetric distribution. There was an outlier of 77 points in this period, which is considered atypical because it is a score that exceeds the value of Q3 + 3IR.
For the period 2015-2 the value of Q1 is 46.00 points and Q3 is 58.00, the data for this period is dispersed compared to the previous periods, the IR for this Period is 12 points; the previous ranks were 6.5 points for 2014-2 and 8.0 for 2013-2. The upper and lower whiskers are symmetrical indicating equal variability towards high and low scores.
The median 52,277 shifts slightly towards Q3, that is, towards high scores between 53.00 and 58.00 points.
The scores obtained by students in the English test in the 2017-2 period range from 34.00 points to 83.00 points over the 100 possible points of the Saber 11 exam. The median is 54.588.
The value of Q1 is 46.00 and the value of Q3 is 61.00; the IR is 15.5 points. The box that is defined shows that 50% of the data is centered between Q1 and Q3. The length of the whiskers indicates that there is variability towards high scores. The difference between Q3 and the maximum value is 21.5 points.
Both the whiskers and box plots show that the students’ English performance has risen from 53.00 points over 100 possible points in 2013-2 to 83.00 points in 2017-2.

Discussion

The results in the international TOEFL test were satisfactory. Although no student succeeded in certifying B1 level, as expected in the National Bilingual Program, a very good result was obtained as no student failed the exam nor did they certify A1 level. In addition, a homogeneous result was achieved because all participants certified A2; this score is considered a good step towards the objectives, given that it was the first time that students took an international test.

Figure 1. Comparison of results of Saber 11 exam obtained by Provincia de Quebecschool students in the periods 2013-2, 2015-2, and 2017-2
Source: Own elaboration with ICFES data base information.

Appendix 1. TOEFL International test results taken by eleventh grade students of the Provincia de Quebec School
Source: TOEFL results

Moreover, it is advantageous for public school students to obtain an international English certification. Some students were close to B1 level, which raises great expectation for the future.
Social and cultural changes, external factors, or even the implementation of the new policy yielded integral results: the school counseling office reported that school violence decreased dramatically: students stopped carrying knives or sharp objects. Similarly, teenage pregnancy dropped to 0%. This is a great progress for the institution, as this fact affects students’ life project, especially of the girls.
Drug consumption and trade have extremely decreased; students receive strong support from their family and school, which prevents them from developing drug addiction problems.

Conclusions

The investments in furniture, pedagogical elements, and didactic material and the use of technologies are important to improve the students’ results. This makes students feel that the school pays attention to them, which motivates them to learn and to be more competent.
Institutional policies or internal policies are fundamental within the framework of the achievements proposed by the education system. It can happen because people who carry out a policy that they have designed and implemented themselves could generate empowerment in the actors, a fact that help reach the proposed objectives or at least to be close to them.
Family is the factor with the greatest impact on learning, regarding not only a foreign language but in general any school. In other words, students’ progress depends on family accompaniment. The relative or guardian does not necessarily have a high level of proficiency in English; instead, they should be a guide regarding the student’s process. Nevertheless, children without a permanent supporting relative can also have good school performance; however, these are isolated cases.
Motivation plays a predominant role in learning. After family incidence, the most effective factor is student’s stimulus. When students feel motivated towards learning, they do their best to achieve their objectives. In contrast, students who are neither motivated nor eager to learn will not achieve their objectives.
The Academic Media Program has been a stimulus in English because it motivates them to learn not only English but also to develop a more academic attitude. In fact, this program encourages them to start a degree related to this program or even to look for a job based on the knowledge gained in these courses.
The school is only a case, but it reflects the conditions of most public urban schools in Bogotá. All teachers are selected through the same contest, the buildings are similar, the economic social strata is alike, the number of teaching hours is the same, and the bilingual program is the same for Colombia. To summarize, the institutional policy of Provincia de Quebec is a good example that could be adapted and followed by other schools.

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