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Essay on Multilingual Education
"Bilingual education, the sanctioned use of more than one language in U.S. education. The Bilingual Education Act (1968), combined with a Supreme Court decision (1974) mandating help for students with limited English proficiency, requires instruction in the native languages of students. The National Association for Bilingual Education (founded 1975) is the main U.S. professional and advocacy organization for bilingual education. Critics (including the national group English First), who maintain that some students never join mainstream classes, have attempted to make English the "official" language in several states and cities; state ballot initiatives approved in California (1998) and Arizona (2000) mostly eliminated bilingual education programs there. Bilingualism proponents note the importance of ethnic heritage and the preservation of language and culture, as well as the need to educate non-English-speaking students in all subjects, not just English. (The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia)
Bilingual and multilingual education programs prepare people to teach subjects in one or more languages. Students learn to teach adults and children who are mastering a second language or do not speak English in the home. They also learn to design courses and plan lessons.
Opponents of bilingual education argue that students need to learn the predominant language of the culture (English, in the case of the U.S.). These opponents think that students will otherwise lean on their native language as if it's a crutch.
If one has ever taken a course in a second language and struggled to express even the most basic thoughts or ideas in that language, he knows how difficult it is to learn a new language. Imagine if he had to put the rest of his education (e.g., history, literature, science, math) on hold until he could master enough of that language to understand instruction in other subjects. He might be in school for much longer than other students, and he'd likely be miserable for much of that time..............
