Bilingual Education

Schools throughout the United States have to deal with a growing number of students speaking different languages. The bilingual education system was first introduced in the 1960s (Donegan 3) as an alternative way to solve social problems at the time when ethnic-pride-movement supporters insisted that all ethnic subcultures should be treated equally. The program's original goal was to offer minority language students the way to improve written and communication skills in English while learning the new material in their first language and to prepare them for an effective integration into American society through gradually introducing them to a new culture. The need for educational reform has provoked a great deal of debate among educators and policymakers. The debate over bilingual education is heated all across the country, with people on both sides of the argument standing firm in their beliefs. Although there are many arguments against bilingual education, it should be introduced in all public schools because it helps non-native English students to excel in many areas of academic and social life.

The difference between English immersion and developmental bilingual education is that in English immersion the students learn and are placed in English classes, while developmental bilingual education attempts to build on students skills in their native language as they learn English as a second language. Through a poll I conducted in my building the majority, 39:11 of students agreed that English immersion was more effective than developmental bilingual education.

Some believe, however, that teaching English as a second language while focusing on Spanish is the best way. Learning to read in one's native language is said to facilitate reading in a second language. Children's achievement in the second language depends on the level of their mastery of their native language and most- positive cognitive effects when both languages are highly developed. Also being taught in the native language helps Spanish students learn more about their culture and stay at the same level of education as their English-speaking peers.

Pedolino Porter, a bilingual education teacher for more than twenty years, is convinced that all limited-English-proficiency students can learn English well enough for regular classroom work in one to three years, if given some help. The old total immersion system still works best; the longer students stay in segregated bilingual programs, the less successful they are in school. Even after twenty-eight years of bilingual programs, the dropout rate for Latinos is the highest in the country.

My High School in Colorado contained more Spanish speaking students than English. Our English as a Second Language program dominated classrooms, teacher's time and our community's money. Students stayed in the ESL program for up to seven years. Javier, a friend of mine from fourth grade, knew English when we were in elementary school however when we reached high school he spontaneously forgot it. In order to stay in the same classes as his friends he pretended he knew no English, In high school he received special attention and spent most his time in the ESL ...