Why Should Bilingual Education Be Retained In Any School System?

For decades, stakeholders in education have been engaged in a never-ending debate on whether to use native language instruction in educational programs prompted by a variety of factors including increases in enrollment of language minority learners, increased financial pressure and diminished funding, as well as political pressure. This debate has become more intense recently, especially because recent research suggests that bilingual education programs and English–only programs are not significantly different in their effect on academic outcomes among students. Common sense—accurate or not—advocates that bilingual education programs are more conducive for learning since learners are likely to receive more individualized instruction and attention from the teacher. These benefits notwithstanding, the cost and labor intensive nature of these programs and the fact that no conclusive evidence exists that speaks to theirs uperior impact on learner outcomes begs the question: Should these programs be retained in the public education system?