Bilingual education

             The original objective of bilingual education was to allow students who didn't speak English well understand the curriculum and avoid falling behind in their academic studies, while at the same time teaching them English as a second language. Many parents want their children to be enrolled in bilingual education programs so that they may receive the knowledge of the English language while at the same time keep current and active with their cultural heritage.
             The development of literacy in the first language is a short cut to literacy in the second language. "It is easier to learn to read in a language you understand; once you can read in one language, this knowledge transfers rapidly to any other language you learn to read. Once you can read, you can read." (Eileen Mortensen p. 31)
             In 1839 Ohio became the first state to adopt a bilingual education law. They allowed students to receive instructions from German to English with the permission of their parents. In 1847 Louisiana enacted an identical program allowing the teachings of French to English. Then in 1850 New Mexico began teaching Spanish student's English instruction. At the end of the 20th century enrollment surveys reported that more then 600,000 students were receiving educational instruction in German. That's about 4% of all American children in the elementary school grades. That's larger than the percentage of students enrolled in Spanish to English programs today. (Until recently, German was the dominant minority language.) (http://www.rethinkingschools.org/Archives/1203/langhst.htm)
             Political idea shifted during the World War I. Fears about the loyalty of non English speakers, and of German Americans in particular, made a majority of the states enact to English-only instruction laws designed to "Americanize" these groups. Some schools went so far as to ban the study of foreign languages in the early grades. This restriction was later st...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
Bilingual education. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 12:14, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/7560.html