What is bilingual education?

Bilingual education is a form of education in which information is presented to the students in two (or
more) languages. Technically, any educational system that utilizes more than one language is bilingual. This
means that many, if not most, school programs are bilingual, in at least a literal sense of the word. What
differentiates various programs that are toted as bilingual is the degree to which multiple languages are
used. [See Different types of bilingual education]

Opponents of bilingual education in the United States will argue that it is costly and wasteful to educate
in any language other than English, as English serves as the lingua franca of American society. Though the
United States has no officially recognized national language, some organizations and groups of individuals
believe that the presence and use of foreign languages is a direct threat to the traditional and esteemed
role of the English language. [See Pros and Cons]

Supporters of bilingual education, however, argue just the opposite. If non-English speaking students are
educated in both their native language and English, they will learn English in a more organic and efficient
manner, improving both the students skills in English and their mother tongue. The child who is exposed to
multiple languages in an academic environment will not feel ashamed to use his or her native language and
will consequently be of a more receptive frame of mind to learn and master English. [See Pros and Cons]

Our group is in support of bilingual education because we believe that, in our increasingly interconnected
global communities, it is important to be able to communicate with one another. Most other countries in
the world have multilingual citizens, and we would like to see Americans counted among them. The
perceived threat to the English language decried by opponents to bilingual education is nothing more than
natural language change; teaching our nations students in more than one language will not be at the
expense of English fluency, but rather will provide our nations youth with the tools they need to become a
successful member of our global society.
Arguments For and Against Bilingual Education

1. (-)Bilingual education is very costly. It costs much more to educate minority-language students in
bilingual classes than it does to run dominant-language-only programs (notes 10-28-05).
( )While it may be true that running bilingual classrooms is expensive, it seems to be the most effective
way of teaching limited English proficiency (LEP) students. An alternative to bilingual education is
immersion, which studies have shown is ineffective (Krashen 1999). If a student does not understand the
language in which materials are being taught, content is completely lost. LEP students not only rely on
schools for English language skills but math, science, history and other skills as well.


2. (-)Bilingual education allows minority language-speakers to resist assimilation and avoid learning the
dominant language. They want to live as a part of mainstream society but are unwilling to change or give up
their language or culture
(notes 10-28-05).
( )although young people of limited English proficiency need and want to be fluent in English to enter
into the mainstream of this nation, they have much to offer from their diversified languages and cultural
backgrounds (English Plus). Minority language-speakers can maintain their first languages and cultures
AND learn English.


3. (-)Because bilingualism in the United States is often indexed with immigration, the term bilingual
child may imply poor or uneducated (Rizwan Ahmad).
( )Bilingualism and multilingualism are actually worldwide norms. The United States is in the monolingual
minority and would benefit from educating its students in bilingual classrooms.


4. (-)Programs implemented by the government, such as bilingual education that are designed to help
immigrants assimilate into American culture actually do the opposite. Immigrants are kept linguistically
isolated which limits one's earning potential (U.S. English, INC.).
( )A 1998 study by Lopez and Mora showed that differences in earnings between former ESL and bilingual
students is small and not even statistically significant (Krashen 1999).
Different types of bi- or multilingual education

*Bilingual education: Information is presented to the students in more than one language. Many
educational systems and programs are bilingual in some sense, but the degree to which the two (or more)
instructional languages are utilized and the structure of the programs differ greatly.

*Submersion: Student is placed in an English-speaking classroom with native English speakers, regardless
of the students level of proficiency in English. The student is expected to learn the content of the
material taught in English, even though he or she may still be learning the language. This is not technically
bilingual education, as the material is presented in only one language (English).

*Two-way bilingual education: Fluent or native speakers of both English and another language are placed
in the same classroom and instructed in both languages alternately. The goal is for both groups of
speakers to become fluent in the other language. This form of education is most effective if implemented
for a period of several years or more.

*English as a Second Language (ESL): Non-English speaking students are placed in English-speaking
classrooms for part of the day. The other part of the day the students are in a classroom with a trained
ESL instructor, where they receive individual and concentrated instruction on the learning of English. The
students are held responsible for the content taught in the English-speaking courses they take.

*Immersion: Students are instructed in a foreign language for entire school day. Immersion programs
differ from submersion programs in that immersion is usually designed to teach majority language
speakers (standard English speakers, in this case) a foreign language. Most of the students who are able
to participate in such a program are of higher socioeconomic status, and always participate voluntarily.
Such programs tend to be very effective in fostering bilingualism in its students.

*Three language system: Students are initially educated in an official state language. A second language,
an official language of the Union, is introduced after approximately two years. After another several
years, a third language, "any Modern Indian Language" not already taught, is introduced academically. At
the conclusion of the child's education, he or she will be proficient (if not fluent) in at least three
languages. However, the system does not "provide a place for such mother tongues that are different
from the Regional Languages", though more languages are represented in this program.