bilingual education

The United States of America is one nation with many languages and many cultures in an ever changing world. Today in urban, suburban, or rural areas of this country it is common to hear and read several languages as well as English. This is a socio-cultural phenomenon that we, as a nation, need to embrace, respect, and accept. We cannot afford to have an isolationist attitude toward the current globalization of our world, which embodies multilingualism.

What is bilingual Education?

Bilingual Education refers to the use of two languages in a school setting by teachers and students. It has been used for centuries all over the world. Today in the United States bilingual education uses language minorities’ native languages to help educate them in academic areas such as reading and math while also learning English. The Goals of bilingual education are:

Fluency in English,

supporting academic achievement,

Promoting cultural understanding,

Preserving language minorities bilingual abilities,

Developing bilingual skills in English speakers,

Foster much needed bilingual skills in today’s global economy,

How does bilingual education work?

There are many different bilingual education programs to serve the different needs of students or the goals of the program.

English Language Learners may require a transitional program that assists them in academics while they learn English. The transition into mainstream English classes may be as short as one to three years. Sometimes the program goal may be to maintain and develop the students’ bilingual ability and can be as long as five to six.

Some programs teach only English language learners while others include English fluent students who wish to learn Spanish, Chinese, or some other foreign language.

Students may be taught their full curriculum in their native language and receive separate ESL instruction or the may be taught in English with special assistance.