Bilingual Education Essay

Over the years, bilingual education has involved teaching children academics in two different languages so they may become competent learners and be successful at acquiring English. Before 1968, bilingual education was not a required course in American schools, but instead as a voluntary program. This changed in 1981 when a lawsuit was brought against the state of Texas that resulted in the requirement of bilingual education programs in elementary schools as English as a second language (ESL) program, bilingual programs in post-elementary grades through eighth grade, and ESL programs in high school. This type of education has been a hot topic for the state governments of the United States, debating whether to keep in the curriculum of schools. Many asking themselves, why should we to provide bilingual education for these students? What will students gain from this type of education? Studies have shown there are benefits that range from cognitive ability, educational advancement, to employment opportunities with a bilingual education, while the critics label it as a “failed experiment” that costed a whole lot of money and years to maintain a basic foundation in the second language. Although the cost is hefty for this exploration of a new language and is time consuming, the cognitive abilities, educational advancement, and employment opportunities greatly outweigh these opposing factors.

Being a Hispanic student who came from not speaking English at all to writing English essays on a weekly basis, I have learned many things that have helped me cope with the disadvantages that were brought on by my lack of English language skills and the advantages that came with being a bilingual student. When I first came to Canada in 2006, I barely spoke a word of English and had to rely on other people for help. I felt helpless and lost, as my classmates were doing things that I did not understand. Over time, I began to pick up the English language quickly and I started to take risks. I constantly challenged myself to try to speak English whenever possible and this allowed me to catch up to my classmates in writing and speaking by grade 3, which was my

The greatest concern of mandating “English only” schools in California for example is that 80 percent of the population of students is Latino. Miner further explains, “Good bilingual programs are about more than learning a language, it should be about respect for diversity and multiculturalism (Bilingual Education, 1999).”

The Disputation Over Bilingual Education There are many aspects of the United States’ education system that many people would agree need change or in the minimal improvement. One topic under the education system that has had much controversy since it was first introduced is Bilingual Education. Bilingual Education is the teaching or practice programs of two languages to teach content ranging from kindergarten to high school. Bilingual Education programs vary in levels and languages. Some programs are designed to assimilate non-english speakers into the English language, others are meant develop knowledge of a completely different foreign language. Equally the goal proficiency of the language varies drastically. Some programs are meant to teach students the basic understandings of the language in oder to write and speak it adequately and others are meant to allow the student to reach a fluency level. One of the most popular type of program would be a Spanish and English program since Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States. The most common type if bilingual program is intended to transition native Spanish speakers into the English language; this is way of helping kids assimilate into the American culture. However, the use of two languages established in the education system has been a controversial idea since first introduced. It receives differing support and has not been able to achieve a conclusive establishment in the public school system. The

They leave school with frustration, insecurity, and the desire not to return. They wonder, as I often did, "Am I stupid? Why am I not getting this?" Having a bilingual education program would make school a more positive experience for many children.

The problem with both bilingual education and English-as-a-second language instruction in the United States lies in our unwillingness to treat English for non-speakers as an academic subject (Haas, 2007). While the bilingual programs in California are thought to be mostly for people who speak Spanish, there are also Asian students that need to be taught proper English before continuing their education. As one anonymous teacher points out: "I have had 32 different languages spoken in my classroom over a 25-year period. Eighty-four languages are spoken in our district."(Anon 1998 & Haas 2007). Which for most teachers mean that it is both educationally and economically impossible to teach every student in their own native language.

The United States is a country built by immigrants who speak more than one language. Being bilingual has many benefits that vary from traveling with ease all through having a brain that can multitask faster. In the past decade many schools in California, as well as other states, have started a program called the “dual immersion” or something of that nature in which they have a class that is in another language, usually Spanish, and they teach the kids all the required material in that other language. The “Dual Immersion” program is something that should be instated into more schools, specifically in the bay area, because of the diversity seen here.

The 1970’s was a time for movements, change, education, and the development of freedom. The book ‘Brown not White” really shows and defines this time period, and inspires everyone to try and understand what our past had entailed. The book was a true inspiration to all Americans, and in my opinion a proper tribute to all Mexican Americans.

I’d say that being bilingual it is something that has been implemented to my life at a very young age. I come from a Mexican family, a very traditional Mexican family, we love being together and always take advantage to celebrate in any occasion and if there is not a special occasion we make up one just to gather and have a good time. Most of my cousins understand and speak clearly English. Also my aunt married an American and the funny thing is that her children look completely American, in the sense that they are blonde, blue eyes, white skin, and they speak Spanish and English fluently, they are just 3 and 4 years old. What I’m trying to portray is that bilingualism is very present not only in the bilingual school I was enrolled as an infant, but it is very present as well in all of my family. I think that the best way to learn a language is to practice it continuously, but the best method out there is practicing it with native speakers and living on their country where that language is spoken. The journey on learning English for me has been very fun and enriching at the same time.

More young americans nowadays are being raised in homes speaking non-English, but these students are falling behind in schools where there is not a bilingual program available. According to the U.S. Department of Education, in schools without a bilingual education program, 71% of English speakers are at or above the basic requirements for fourth grade reading while merely 30% of non-English speakers reach this level. 35% of English and 8% of non-English speakers reach proficient reading levels while only 9% of English and 1% of non-English speakers perform at advanced levels. It’s evident that the availability of a bilingual program is crucial to the success of an individual who needs the resources that can be given to them through the use of bilingual education. The percentages of the non-English speaking students previously mentioned could undoubtedly be comparable to those percentages of the English speaking students if the education they were being provided with was cohesive to their comfortability, and the material being taught was in a language they could better understand.

Bilibgual education The Detrimental Effect of an Education in a Foreign Language California passed a proposition in 1997 that ended funding for teaching children solely in their native language. Instead of these programs, opulent citizens will provide funding for the English as a Second Language (ESL) program in California's public schools. These ESL classes will have non-native speakers learn subjects in English and their native language simultaneously. Even though the proposition passed, the issue of which plan is more beneficial continues to spark debate. On the one hand, ethnic groups say the law is unjust because their children cannot understand English. They argue that their children need to be taught in their native tongue. Most

Nearly everyone is required to take at least two years of a foreign language in order to attend college in the United States. But, how much does one really remember from that long ago high school Spanish Class? Imagine how much easier language would be to master, and how much more would be absorbed, if the languages were introduced in Kindergarten. By implementing more bilingual education programs within the United States Education System, children will begin to improve drastically academically, cognitively, and socially; Bilingual Education will also help to improve cultural awareness within both the American Education System and the United States itself.

The continued growth of speakers of languages other than English is reflected in the rapidly increasing students in U.S. schools for whom English is a second language. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics (2005) show that the number of school-age children who spoke a language other than English

Too many times growing up has the phrase been said, “Speak English! This is America”. If the United States has always been the home to hundreds of immigrants, with different nationalities, can we say English is the only language to talk in America? Absolutely not. For many years, the United States has preferred monolingualism, the knowledge of one language however from hospitals to courts, the assistance to interpret different languages is now offered. Schools have now begun to implement programs that consist of teaching in two different languages, known as dual language classrooms. All coming together to push forward the rewarding benefit of knowing more than one language, of being bilingual. Just like manners, the knowledge of a second language must be taught at an early age by our first teachers, our parents.

From the time the Pilgrims landed in this great nation at Plymouth Rock, immigrants have been culturally diverse and have spoken many languages. When the Pilgrims arrived in the New World, they did not know how to communicate with the natives. Through intense study the natives learned the Pilgrims’ language. Even with the common language they were still a melting pot of different culture. Some would say that America has gotten over the language/ cultural barriers and now almost everyone speaks the common language of English, but there are still many immigrants who do not know English. Bilingual education is put into public schools for this reason, so that immigrant children can be assimilated to English gradually. The national language