Relations Seminar Series. All errors in fact and interpretation are our own. 2THE LABOR MARKET EFFECTS OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION AMONG HISPANIC WORKERS

During the past few decades there has been a rapid increase in the number of limited-English-proficient individuals in the U.S. If language deficiencies inhibit educational progress and labor market outcomes, schooling programs like bilingual education have long term economic implications. We first discuss some elements of the debate over bilingual education programs. Then, utilizing data from High School and Beyond, we find that first generation and (to a lesser extant) second generation Hispanics who attended a bilingual education program appear to earn significantly less than otherwise similar English-immersed peers who received monolingual English instruction, ceteris paribus