A Solution to the Bilingualism Debate

Bilingual education is a lightning-rod of controversy in the United States today. It

been has a target of debate ever since the days of Benjamin Franklin and Noah Webster.

The real questions are whether the United States has succeeded in creating a culturally

inclusive society in all ways possible, and whether bilingualism promotes assimilation

into American society, or separatism. New research has shown that bilingual education

can succeed in helping students to integrate into mainstream society, through the Dual-

Language education model.

The debate over bilingual education has existed since the beginning of the U.S. as

a nation. During their missions to Native Americans in the American West, Franciscan

missionaries first had to learn local indigenous languages before teaching the catechism.

The process was laborious, since the missionaries first had to learn the language, then

formulate it into an alphabet, then written form, and only then translate it into Spanish as

a last step. Both languages were then used in teaching the material. In the English-

speaking colonies of Revolutionary America, ethnic groups established bilingual schools.

From the beginning, bilingual education was opposed by both Noah Webster and

Benjamin Franklin. Franklin expressed the concern that such an education model would

result in new arrivals to the American continent remaining separate from mainstream

society, which would logically reduce their ability to participate in all the rights and

benefits offered by the new model of liberty. (Encyclopedia)

Debate over bilingual education continued throughout the nineteenth century,

with significant efforts by some states to offer bilingual education to those communities

that requested it. This was most often the case for German-Americans in such states as
Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The Bilingual Education Act of 1967

represented a major step forward in bilingual education. In 1974, Chinese-American

parents won a Supreme Court case, Lau v. Nichols, which stated that students who could

not understand English in American school classrooms were being denied their civil

rights. Despite the ruling, bilingual education has never been completely accepted. In

1998, California voters approved Proposition 227, which specifically banned bilingual

education in public schools.

The Dual Language educational model presents a reasonable solution to the

problem. School districts are increasingly using the method, which has been shown to

foster the development of fluent bicultural, bilingual, and bi-literate learning. In Dual

Language, students receive instruction in both their native language and English, in

different subjects, on different days. The model specifies the subjects and time duration

for each language. For example, Spanish would be the language of the day on Monday,

and Friday, while English would be the language of the day on Tuesday, Wednesday and

Thursday. Spanish would be used to teach science and social studies, while English

would be used for language arts and math. Teachers would adhere closely to this

schedule, which would challenge students to think and work in both languages.

A possible benefit of this education model is cognitive enhancement. Some

researchers note that by meeting the challenge of effectively learning, writing and

speaking in both languages, the human brain seems to respond by increasing function.

The Dual Language model is believed to have originated in 1963, when exiled

Cuban communities in Florida established dual language programs in an effort to

accommodate temporary residents of the United States. Since their long-term residential
status was uncertain, educators wanted to make certain that students retained facility in

Spanish, while still gaining the ability to function in what may well have been a

temporary home. Since that time, the dual language model has been successfully used in

other ethnic communities, using such languages as Navajo, Haitian Creole, Cantonese,

and Korean. Recent data indicates that the Dual Language model is being adapted by

more schools as each year passes. In 1979, few schools were known to be teaching with

the model, while by 2004, Dual Language programs had been established in 26 states.

(Center) Implementation of the Dual Language educational model does present

challenges to educators. Teachers must demonstrate a full commitment to teaching to the

balanced schedule required, in the language specified. School districts must commit to

finding teachers qualified to teach in the language, and subject, needed. Yet such

obstacles would need to be overcome, no matter which program is selected to

accommodate the need for English as a second language learners.

Looking toward the future, it is clear that the Dual Language model presents a

reasonable and balanced solution to a difficult social debate. Certain participants in the

bilingual debate would like to eliminate bilingual education altogether, effectively

turning public schools into total immersion English-learning laboratories. Yet this is not

even possible, under the law. Due to the Supreme Court ruling in 1974, and other civil

rights legislation that has been enacted during the late 20th century, bilingual programs

will be required in some form as long as immigration to the United States continues. By

setting up a teaching schedule that is divided by subject and duration to help students

learn well in both their native language and the culturally dominant language of English,
the concerns of all parties concerned can be satisfied. It is the path that should be taken

into the future, for as long as it is needed.