The Bilingual Education Controversy: A Road Map

The controversy surrounding bilingual education and programs to serve language minority students is complex and puzzling for many both inside and outside the community of professional educators. The purpose of this web page is to provide a guide to understanding the issues surrounding language minority education by placing aspects of the controversy into broad categories: Linguistic issues, cultural issues and academic program issues in bilingual education. Important legal and policy issue stem from these concerns and differing opinions regarding the best approach to educating limited English proficient (LEP) students. We will pose and analyze some basic questions surrounding each of the elements of controversy within each of these broader categories by providing links to pertinent articles, presentations and discussions to address each of these questions.

Linguistic Issues

Monolingualism valued Bilingualism valued
The United States is a monolingual nation. What value is there in being bilingual? It is a positive thing for people to learn to speak more than one language, but this is an "extra" that need not be part of the regular school curriculum. Why should children in the public schools be taught in their native language when it is so important to learn English?

Theoretical Foundations of Bilingual Education

Critical Thinking in the Bilingual Education Debate

Myth vs. Reality: Proposition 227
 
Subtractive bilingualism Additive bilingualism
When families speak a language other than English, isn't it the responsibility of the home to maintain the home language? Isn't it better for children to replace their native language with English? Philosophical Assumptions English-only vs. Bilingual Education
Bilingualism is a divisive force Bilingualism is a a natural phenomenon in a multicultural society
We must remain an English speaking nation in order to be united as one people. Isn't bilingual education divisive? English is the language of opportunity in the world today. People all over the world are learning English so they can enjoy economic and social opportunities. Shouldn't the focus of public school learning be exclusively on English? Patterns of Cultural Integration
 
Bilingualism is an impediment to academic achievement Bilingualism is an advantage in learning when language and literacy skills are fully developed
Why should children be taught in another language when this may delay their English language learning?

Teaching for Transfer

Effective Classrooms for English Acquisition
Age of acquisition of a second language: The earlier the better The age range for acquiring bilingual proficiency spans throughout the elementary school years
Young children learn English more quickly and easily. Language learning becomes more difficult as children get older. Doesn't this mean we should teach English as intensively as possible so English can be learned before children get too old to acquire the language without retaining a "foreign" accent? The Truth About the CELDT

Cultural Issues

Assimilation of immigrants should be rapid and complete Acculturation is a complex process of adapting and integrating new cultural values and life styles
Isn't there a danger that if immigrants keep speaking their native languages that they will not assimilate into American mainstream society? Language Maintenance and Loss
Segregation of ethnic groups and ethnic enclaves Patterns of immigration have changed in our multicultural society
Isn't there too much separation already of groups according to their ethnicity? Doesn't bilingual education aggravate this situation by separating students in the public schools into separate classrooms to teach them in their own language? The Immigration Debate: A Multicultural Perspective
Cross-generation and recent immigrant conflicts Degrees of bicultural affirmation and identity
Previous generations of immigrants have assimilated and most have abandoned the language of their country of origin. Why don't today's immigrants do the same? Aren't they refusing to learn English? Isn't it unfair to Asian, African and European immigrants to just provide bilingual education for Spanish speakers?

A New Role of Advocacy for Language Minority Students

Fallacious Arguments in the Bilingual Education Debate

Cumbre Latino II: Plática con los Padres de Familia

Academic Program Issues

Type and duration of programs for English language learners Models of bilingual education vs. monolingual education
Why can't young children learn English in school in a year or two? Doesn't bilingual education delay children's opportunities to become literate in English? Can't we teach children English by teaching them in English? Sheltered Immersion: Controversy & Contrasts
Program effectiveness Multiple criteria for determining success of bilingual programs
Isn't English immersion simply more effective in teaching English? What justification is there for the added time and cost of bilingual education?

Checklist for Effective Language Minority Program Implementation

Literacy Instruction for ELL
Teacher qualifications and availability Roles and responsibilities of bilingual teachers
There is a critical shortage of bilingual teachers. Shouldn't we prepare monolingual teachers to provide effective instruction for limited English proficient students? Aren't bilingual teachers taking jobs away form monolingual teachers? As a monolingual  teacher, why should I care about bilingual education?
Accountability TO and FOR Language Minority Education

Legal and Policy Issues

Language policy to promote societal change Language policy beyond the sphere of influence of the public schools
Our public schools have always been a vehicle for assimilating new immigrants. Won't policies that promote assimilation lead to a better society and more social and economic opportunities for immigrants? Horne v. Flores: Arizona's SEI
Civil rights to effective English language instruction Civil rights to equal access to the core curriculum and parity with native speakers of English
Don't children have a right to be educated in English in the United States? Isn't bilingual education an impediment to that right?

History of Bilingual Education

The Bilingual Education Debate: A Social Dominance Analysis AMAE
Public policies regarding education decided through the ballot initiative process Public policies regarding language minority student education decided through legislation
Why shouldn't the policy preference of the majority of the electorate prevail in deciding how to educate children in the public schools? Valeria G. v. Davis
Accountability and test scores indicating results of English immersion Reliability and validity of test scores for limited English proficient students
After more than a decade of implementation of Proposition 227, don't test scores prove that English immersion works better than bilingual education?

Vindicated! The Post-227 Research Evidence

 
Political issues surrounding bilingual education Confusion of political and pedagogical issues
Why is bilingual education so controversial? Why are we looking for political solutions to the challenges of educating language minority students? P-227: Separating Myth from Reality

Jill Kerper Mora

This page was last updated on 12/16/12