Issues Related to Bilingual Education in the United States - Case Study Example

Issues Related to Bilingual Education in the United s Introduction Bilingual education involves teaching thelearning content in two distinct languages where there is a native and secondary language with varied levels of each language used as per the program model (Higham, 1988). Bilingualism is the ability of someone communicating in two different languages. On the other hand, bilingual education is the utilization of two distinct languages in classroom instruction. It is common knowledge that languages are learnt during the early childhood years. In the past, immigrants began learning English as soon as they crossed the borders of the United States. It is reported that in early 2000, many immigrants chose to preserve their native language at home. The United States bilingualism means English and any other language such as Spanish that is used by the citizens. Again, it is documented that there are more than 300 languages being spoken in America. The schools in America have witnessed diversity in the past twenty five years. Educators are now experiencing a big challenge since majority of the students can no longer be predominantly speaking English. Immigrants like the Blacks, Asians, Hispanics and others are growing in population. This calls for adjustments in instructional programs to serve better these interest groups. This report will focus on the background information, alternative courses of action, the cost benefit analysis and finally the recommendation on the best way forward for bilingual education in the US. Background Bilingual education in the United States is reported to have been contested and redesigned within varied historical, economic, social and political contexts. Also, language professionals argue that the changing political, economic and social forces have designed the nation’s responses to diversity in language. Language ideology in America has been shifting depending on historical events and the lack of a consistent language ideology which has propagated political resentments especially on treatment for the minority groups of the population. It is reported that long before European colonizers came to the North American continent with their own languages and culture, the land was occupied by indigenous languages (Higham, 1992). Despite the rich cultural and language diversity in ancient days, the United States had a vision of a common language. The nation’s founders did not adopt an official language or even instituted any government body to oversee. Various theoretical perspectives have tried to explain the historical events and development of policies of language. Kloss (1998) emphasizes that some policies have been somehow tolerant for the immigrants speaking languages of the European immigrants such as the German language. He further explained that the factors behind the today’s official English movement were present way before America’s independence over two centuries ago. In simple terms nothing much has changed in regard to official English language since then. Other theorists interpreted that the poor language minorities were always getting the short end of the stick as a result of so many beliefs that promoted assimilation and not pluralism. As much as the theorists try to explain more about bilingual education, it is vividly clear that both 18th and 19th centuries were characterized by no consistency and with contradictions in regard to ideology and policies. Some states are said to have published official documents using the languages of the minority, but the United States Congress did not oblige to do so. Some of the American states approved bilingual education, whereas others emphasized on English-only instruction. It has become a controversial item in the United States where there are those in support of bilingual education and at the same time those opposing it. Those advocating for it claim that the bilingual education is almost practiced in any nation around the world and that it boosts language development. Others who oppose it claim that it is not effective and promotes divisions among people in the society. In America, there is a worrying trend concerning which way forward because nowadays school-age children who speak a language other than English in their homes are fast growing in terms of numbers and almost constitute 21 percent of all children going to school. The United States Department of Education recently released data concerning those learners who are termed as ‘’ English Language Learners’’ that stands at 4.7 million (Krashen, 2009). These learners have not yet mastered the English language. It is vital to note that of all the predicaments facing the minority students and their schools, the English learners are at the most disadvantaged position. This is attributed to the lack of enough teachers who have the right qualifications to teach them. The programs themselves are not that consistent. The United States is divided on the best way to educate the children since it is marred by proposition and opposition voices. The English learners are also in poor and heavily populated schools. Moreover, the more the students spend in the special language programs, the more they lag behind in other subject areas. This notion of emphasizing on the English language is argued to benefit the so said learners simply because they ought to be prepared for the future prospects in the world of economy. Literacy is vital to be economically fruitful in a country. They need to be knowledgeable and this is enhanced through the learning and mastery of the English language. Hispanic represents the largest share of English learners followed by the Asian students. When it comes to states with the highest percentage of English learners, California, Nevada, Texas and New Mexico lead the lot (Dulay, 2009). The biggest challenge facing the success of this bilingual education is in its implementation is in its implementation. The status of the bilingual education is not yet resolved since its inception over twenty five years ago. Despite the successes here and there, limitations are at its peak in many cities around the states. One of the limitations is the shortage of the bilingual teachers where most of them are said to be monolingual. To add to that, there is a premature rush or transition to English language instruction as a result of pressure. Sometimes the students are removed from the bilingual programs to join the regular English language classrooms. This is attributed once again to the teacher shortages of teachers who are versed with bilingual teaching, mere hatred or opposition to the bilingual education and the need to test learners early in subject content achievements. Failure for the learners to master the language will lead to failure in acquisition of basic knowledge and skills. That means there would be a population of citizens who are not competent in various fields and hence affecting negatively the economy of the United States in the long run. Another issue affecting or plaguing the United States, bilingual education is the aspect of inadequate instructional materials. It is reported that efforts have been put into place to ensure adequacy of materials, but the efforts are not good enough since there is still a big shortage. Publisher of textbooks invest only on materials based on English language rather than any other language because of marketing issues. The only instruction materials focus on basic reading and arithmetic excluding other areas more so for the students in secondary. This bilingual education is said to be a classic example of an experiment that began with the best of intentions to help humanity but has become a nightmare in the United States. To fulfill the needs of the Spanish-speaking children and other minority languages, the introduction of the Bilingual Education Act was a good move. This was because its major aim was not to promote a specific language. The 1968 federal move to dictate on how the non-English speaking children should be educated created an uproar and opposition. It should not be forgotten that the aim of the bilingual education is to assist the immigrant children learn English and enjoy equal education opportunity with their English speaking counterparts. The controversies have surrounded its implementation since apart from just giving the children a chance to learn their native language, their ethnic culture was also being championed. With the termination of the Bilingual Education Act in 2001, there came the ‘’ No child Left Behind’’ by the Congress which does not support native language learning. It emphasizes on English accountability only (Hakuta, 2006). The debate still rages on concerning the issue of bilingual education in the United States. Alternative Course of Action According to Haugen (2012), there are a number of alternative steps or measures if adopted will solve the issue affecting bilingual education in the United States. The programs suggested provide conditions that are vital in reducing prejudice and aspects of discrimination. More so, they boost communication skills and cultural awareness in the social spectrum. The first one is dual-language immersion. This is aimed at helping children become bilingual and also bicultural. This dual-language or in other words two-way contrasts with the earlier form of bilingual education whereby the program incorporates speakers of the two target languages. Moreover, it provides academic instruction in both languages for a number of years with the aim of creating bilingualism and biliteracy in both students’ groups (Heath, 2012). A good example of a school that embraces this is Oyster Elementary found in the capital Washington D.C. It is noted that the school takes language not as a problem but as a resource in terms of approach. This kind of program emphasizes on the cultural diversity of its learners whereby it sees them as an asset. It is reported that there are 200 dual-language programs in America. This approach has proven that prejudicial feelings against learners from other languages can be brought down in the dual-language program’s context. It goes ahead to show that learners from different backgrounds can as well become quite conscious of the benefits that are accrued with multilingualism. This program has been a success in nurturing a positive attitude in both language groups. Another alternative approach is the Transitional Bilingual Program. This is said to offer extensive instruction in the native language and also in English, but once a learner has attained a certain mastery of proficiency in English, he or she is taken into a mono-lingual English program. The mainstreaming process happens towards the end of the end of the second grade or after a period of two years. Delays can even go up to fifth or sixth grades. The programs are quite varied as they do not strictly adhere to the guidelines governing them. Cost Benefit Analysis With dual-language immersion, its pros or advantages are that it promotes or embraces cultural diversity or tolerance among different groups of children. More so, it is reported to deal effectively with ethnic and racial stereotyping and discrimination. It also promotes intergroup relations which help in curtailing prejudice among both the majority and minority students. This is as a result of language being seen as a resource and not as a problem. There is the feeling of prestige and promoting self-esteem among students as languages are given equal considerations and embrace. In contrary, the cons of this alternative program to bilingual education in the United States is that the language minority students may still have inferiority feelings and also low self-esteem. This can eventually create hostility towards the dominant language or culture (Hornby, 2012). It is difficult to control it in the class because it is so much rooted in the societal aspects. With the Transitional bilingual program, its pros involve both native and English languages are given intensive treatment in terms of instructions to learners. This promotes both the native language in terms of cultural awareness and also embraces the official English language which is necessary as they move up the academic ladder. It is also flexible in that learners are not held strictly for the durations, but can be exited at any grade. The only challenge or cons is that students from the minority language may develop an inferiority complex later in the elementary years because the English language now takes a centre stage. Culture is easily forgotten in this kind of arrangement since there is no emphasis in the later years. There are other less detailed alternatives to the issues related to bilingual education in the United States, but the above two are the most elaborate. Recommendation In the light of the discussions, it is my opinion that the best alternative program in the bilingual education issues in the United States is the dual-language immersion program where both the native and the English languages are given equal opportunity in terms of mastery and usage. The unlimited exposure to both languages is an asset to the learners. Bilingual education theorists in relation to education administration are of the belief that a child’s mastery in his native language acts as a platform for proficiency in the second language. It is argued that if a child is given the best foundation in his native language, mastering English language will be a downhill task. That is the reason why this choice of alternative action overrides other alternatives because it emphasizes on the importance of the native language as a bi-literacy approach to benefit the learners. It is a bedrock for future success in academic matters. In conclusion, issues related to bilingual education in the United States can be easily tackled if the above alternatives are implemented with the goodwill of all the stakeholders in the education sector. References Dulay, H. (2009). Language Two. New York: Oxford Press. Hakuta, K. (2006). Mirror of Language: The Debate on Bilingualism. New York: Basic Books. Haugen, E. (2012). Bilingualism in the Americas; a Bibliography and Research Guide. Montgomery, Ala: University of Alabama Press. Heath, S. (2012). Ways With Words: Language, Life and Work in Communities and Classrooms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Higham, J. (1992). Crusade for Americanization. In J. Crawford (Ed.),Language loyalties: A source book on the official English controversy (pp. 72–85). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Higham, J. (1988). Strangers in the land: Patterns of American nativism,1860–1925 (2nd Ed.). New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. Hornby, P. (2012). Bilingualism: Psychological, Social, and Educational Implications. New York: Academic Press. Kloss, H. (1998). The American bilingual tradition. Rowley, MA: Newbury House. Krashen, S. D. (2009). Condemned without a trial: Bogus arguments against bilingual education. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Read More