The Controversy of Bilingual Education

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the controversy surrounding bilingual education. The paper explores the stance taken by politicians on this issue and contends that, since the issue is within the educational system and within the schools themselves, it only makes sense that the solution will be found there and not in the halls of state or federal government. The paper presents the opinions of those who support bilingual education and of those who oppose it.

From the Paper:

"The controversy over the concept and practice of bilingual education is hardly new. Although most people trace the beginnings of the debate to the 1970's Supreme Court finding that non-native English speakers (particularly new immigrants), were not receiving the equal education guaranteed them by the law (CPJ, 1997), the debate has actually long been a part of United States History. Interestingly, however, most American voters have little knowledge about the long history of bilingual education, and instead somehow imagine that the best and only "logical" way to immerse new immigrant students into the "mainstream" is to immediately place them in an all English setting. Although this is the view of many, it is particularly telling that large numbers of politicians and political parties jump on the bilingual bandwagon-either for or against, seemingly pointing to a larger issue of the importance of "assimilation" that has nothing to do with academic success."

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