The Future of Bilingual Education in American Schools
by Aimee Archibald
October 14, 2001
In a world with over two hundred countries, it seems
surprising that there are over six thousand languages spoken. Within
some of these countries, multiple languages are spoken, and many people are
educated in more than one language. However, in the United States most people
can only speak English even though there are so many languages spoken.
Some educators see this as a problem and believe that second language education
should have more of a role in public school curriculums. Opponents
to this view hold that English is!
the most used language in the United States,
and therefore learning other languages should be considered less of a priority.
What should the educational objectives be for language as we we enter the
twenty-first century? Should students be required to learn a second
language before graduation? Would it be beneficial to start second
language education in elementary school? What should our expectations
be of non-English speaking children who live in America? These questions
have been at the forefront of educational debate for years. Ultimately,
we need to see the positive implications that come from having a bilingually
educated society.
In the United States a student can graduate from
high school without having learned a second language. Often a high
school student may take one to four years of Spanish, French, or German but
fails to become fluent in the language. A college studen!
t can also
pass through their education without ever having taken a language.
By the time a college graduate enters the work force, he or she may not be
able to speak another language besides English. In a world where most
countries educate their students bilingually, the United States public education
system seems to be inadequate. Changes must be made in America’s
educational policies to stay competitive with other nations.
What should be the objectives for language education in
America? Early bilingual education has the best results because younger
children are better able to learn and retain a second language than older
children. (Harley, 1986) If the second language is taught throughout
elementary and secondary education, fluency is a more likely outcome.
While it may not be plausible to require students to study a second language
as upperclassmen, having some background in another language would be!
beneficial
both personally and professionally.
There are numerous reasons why American children should
study a second language. Perhaps the best reason is that it develops
a level of thinking that would otherwise not be reached. Current
studies in bilingual education indicate that bilingualism fosters creativity
and higher levels of thinking. It does not hold back cognitive development,
as it was assumed at the beginning of the twentieth century. Recent
studies have demonstrated more control over variables and validity.
In one study, both bilingual and monolingual students were asked to generate
a hypothesis for a scientific test. After being graded on quality of
the hypothesis, synthetic complexity, and number of metaphors, the outcome
of the study was that bilinguals scored higher, indicating a more developed
level of creativity. (Lasagabaster, 2000) Secondly, our nation is diverse
in ethnicities and languag!
es, and common courtesy suggests that we should
embrace other languages besides English. In particular, the Spanish
speaking population is on the rise, and incorporating Spanish language education
into the elementary school curriculum hardly seems to be a wasted effort.
While Hispanic immigrants generally learn to speak English quite rapidly,
almost all remain lifetime bilinguals. (Santiestevan, 1991) Another
reason to study a second language is because it would give the U.S. a competitive
edge in trade, improve foreign relations, and improve communication between
diverse groups in our country. (Gallegos, 1994)
It can be argued that learning a language other than English
is valuable to American students. Similarly, it is absolutely necessary
for non-English speaking students to learn English. The purpose of
bilingual education for these students is to make a smooth transition into
English while maintaining their mother lan!
guage. A crucial part of
some programs includes teaching students some of the standard class subjects
in English and some in their native language. While it is not feasible
to offer classes in most languages, it would be possible to offer classes
in Spanish at most schools because of the sheer population size of Spanish
speakers in the United States. These classes could be attended by both
English and Spanish speaking students. For English speaking students,
these classes would strengthen their Spanish skills, and Spanish speakers
would benefit because they would have opportunity to learn in their native
language. Clearly, it is impossible to maintain the same standards
for all American schools because different communities have different needs.
For example, a community such as La Crosse may want to consider offering
classes in the Hmong language instead of Spanish because of the higher concentration
of Hmong students in the area. &nb!
sp; Ideally all schools would offer
classes taught in another language because of the positive effects that it
would have on students.
The greatest concern with implementing these ideas is
the issue of who will teach the children. (Tucker, 1999) Teachers
today generally are not fluent in another language, so it would be difficult
to find teachers to instruct classes in another language. One answer
to this could be a change in the educational requirements for teachers.
Part of their education program should be to learn another language so that
they become capable of teaching in their respective second language.
The language learned is irrelevant because there is a demand for bilingual
teachers, regardless of which language is spoken. Making these changes
would take time but they are possible.
Bilingual education poses many tough questions.
It is time that educators come to terms with this !
issue and establish new
goals that better reflect our growing country and our diverse communities.
To deny the need for education in languages other than English sets us behind
other countries and deprives students in the United States.
References
Gallegos, Bee (Ed.) (1994). English: Our Official
Language? New York, NY: The H.W. Wilson Company.
Lasagabaster, David. (2000) The Effects of Three Bilingual
Education Models on Linguistic Creativity.
International
Review of Applied Linguistics in Language
Teaching. 38. 213-
229.
Harley, Birgit. (1986). Age in Second Language Acquisition.
San
Diego, CA. College-Hill Press.
Santiestevan, Stina. (1991, May). Use of the Spanish
Language in
the United States: Trends, Challenges,
and Opportunities.
ERIC Digest.
Tucker, G. Richard. (1999, August). A Globa