Bilingual Education

Paper Summary:

This paper relates that English-only instruction for limited English proficiency (LEP) students does not provide the same quality education as for native speakers. The author points out that refusing a non-native English learner schooling in his or her native language, especially at the beginning stages of his or her education, is a denial of the basic human right of freedom and opportunity to pursue one's goals. The paper asserts that, rather than investigating the claims made by anti-bilingualist politicians and officials, people tend to be motivated by their emotions and political hysteria to take a position that is not only unfair towards the children involved but also towards the future of the country itself.

Table of Contents:
Bilingual Education: Background and History
Bilingual Education: Opponents
Conclusion and Considerations for the Future

From the Paper:

"Currently, the United States is going through a difficult political period. Emotions are running high not only in terms of the war on terrorism, but also in terms of the concomitant issue of culture and language. Whereas German was the maligned language and culture during the World Wars, currently Arabs are at the receiving end of racial slurs and attacks. Because of this, Americans are also subject to a particularly patriotic feeling, which translates itself to the language issue. Hence the drive to phase out bilingual education is politically rather than linguistically motivated."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Crawford, James (1998). "Bilingual Education" http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/biling.htm
• Krashen, Stephen. (accessed 2007, March 13). "Why Bilingual Education?" Eric Digest. http://www.ericdigests.org/1997-3/bilingual.html
• Meyer, Lois. (1998, Spring). "A Critical Look at the Unz Intitiative: 'English for the Children". San Francisco State University. http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/linguistics/people/grads/macswan/Unzguide.htm
• National Association for Bilingual Education. (2004). "Does Bilingual Education Really Work?" http://www.nabe.org/education/effective.html
• Rethinking Schools Online (1998, Spring). "History of Bilingual Education". Vol. 12, No. 3 http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/12_03/langhst.shtml

More papers on Bilingual Education:

• Persuasive Essay # 69643 : "Bilingual Education"
• Essay # 88321 : "Bilingual Education"
• Persuasive Essay # 73337 : "Bilingual Education"
• Essay # 50884 : "Bilingual Education and the American Dream"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: