Should There Be Government-Funded Bilingual Education In The U.S.?

13 Pages 3170 Words

Should we have bilingual education in the U.S.?
Truly, one of the most critical items in relation to our future is the quality of our children’s education. The question of “how then shall we teach” is just behind the perfect government and the meaning of truth in popular philosophical debates. Plato considered it important enough to include it in his masterwork, The Republic. In modern times, the question has a new twist; what language shall we teach in our schools, or should there be more than one?
Bilingual education is a hotly debated topic, and the nation is hardly unified on the matter. California’s recent Proposition 227 banned government-funded bilingual education, while other states have extensive bilingual programs (Rothstein). Here in Florida, we have our own program that is usually referred to by its acronym, ESOL-English for Speakers of Other Languages. Proponents of such classes argue that instruction in his or her native language is the most sensible way to educate an immigrant. They believe that bilingual education produces viable citizens in a painless manner. Some argue that the culture of America, the immigrant-roots idea of our country, demands that we include these children in our society.
But this same argument, the idea of American culture, is used by opponents of ESOL and other such programs. They also question the very legality of bilingual education. Many of them state that this form of education violates the Constitutional rights of all parties concerned.
So, really, the American educational establishment is faced with a dilemma. Numerous people have no opinion on this topic, which only adds to the confusion. Basically, the question comes down to this: Do we have an ethical duty to provide native-language instruction to immigrants? And even if we do not, would it be in our best interests to do so anyway?
Proponents of bilingual education think so. They argue that all children in Amer...