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Bilingual Education: Overview and Online Resources
As the debate continues over how best to teach English language learners, here are resources to help you decide what's best for your child.
By GreatSchools.net Staff
Bilingual education means instruction in two languages. In general, however, it refers to a range of classroom strategies that include instruction in the student's primary language.

In 1998, California voters passed Proposition 227, an initiative that limits non-English language instruction for students who are learning English. It requires that new English learner (EL) students be instructed in English in a special class for one year, after which students are mainstreamed into regular classes and possibly provided with extra support. After the first month of school, parents may petition a school to provide instruction in the students' native language as well as in English.

Bilingual programs are based on research showing that children will learn to read more quickly in English if they are taught to read in their native language first. For example, bilingual proponents believe that a 10-year-old student moving to the U.S. from Mexico who cannot read Spanish will have trouble reading English right away; the first step should be to teach him to read in Spanish, then to help him learn to decode English. While bilingual programs have been around for almost 100 years, recently they have come under fire due to concerns that children are not mastering English sufficiently. Opponents of bilingual education argue that the quickest path to helping students read and speak English is by immersing them in English.

Although educators may continue to debate bilingual education, if current political trends continue, schools and districts will be decreasing the emphasis on teaching students in their native language and focusing instead on teaching in English.

If your child is an English learner, you’ll need to make up your own mind about what’s right for your child. Since bilingual education policies vary by state, check with your district to find out more about how bilingual education is handled in your school and, if necessary, to advocate for appropriate bilingual policies in your community.

For more information about bilingual education and English language acquisition, check out these online resources:

California Association for Bilingual Education
This site includes information about bilingual education issues in California, as well as related events, organizations and news.

California Department of Education Resources for English Learners
This site contains information about state policies related to English learners, as well as general reference information for bilingual education issues in the state.

The National Association for Bilingual Education
Founded in 1975, NABE is a nonprofit organization that addresses the educational needs of language-minority students in the U.S. and advances the language competencies and multicultural understanding of all Americans. This site provides information about NABE's work related to bilingual education.

Education Week, Bilingual Education
This useful summary from Education Week includes links to relevant organizations, news articles and features about bilingual education throughout the United States.

National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition
NCELA, funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students, collects, analyzes and disseminates information relating to the effective education of linguistically and culturally diverse learners in the U.S. This site describes the organization's work and provides links to government resources in English language acquisition.

Center for Multilingual, Multicultural Research
The CMMR is a research institution that studies and promotes issues related to bilingual education. This site provides links to papers and studies on the subject.

Updated June 2004

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Comments From GreatSchools.net Users
07/18/2008:
"I moved to Italy with my 3 children when they where 5, 6 and 7 years old. We put in the local school where they did not speack a word of Italian. By the end of the year they where fluent in Italian. 3 years later we moved back to the US and my children had to learn to read and write in English, it took them about 4 month to learn. I happy to say that all 3 of my children graduated from hgh school with honors and are currently in college and doing fabulous! "
04/30/2008:
"immersion of ell learners in English, will only create students illiterate in two languages. Dual Language programs following 50/50 model with team teaching, have proved to be very successful in creating students literate in two languages."
04/23/2008:
"Hi, My family and I are moving to Phoenix area in the next months. We are from Mexico. I have two kids, the older is going to be 4 years early october, and the little one is just an almost 5 month old baby, so I don't think the moving will be a problem for him. But I am concerned about the big kid, since he does not speak english. I have been doing some research about english learners and schools but I still don't know for sure if all Arizona schools have the english learners programs (I think it is AZELLA) So it would be great if you help me to clarify this issue. Thanks a lot in advance for your kind help."
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