ALL CHILDREN CAN LEARN… TO SPEAK ENGLISH

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandate has pushed the debate on how to educate the limited English proficient child to the forefront. Thus, criticism abounds in several states surrounding the effectiveness of bilingual education programs in our nation’s public schools. The opponents state that bilingual education is not working; it is an expensive funding pursuit for school districts; and that school children who receive such services are not performing any better academically than their peers who receive their instruction in English. On the other hand, the proponents of bilingual education claim that non-English speaking children must receive their academic instruction in their dominant language as second language acquisition learners. They need to acquire the language first before learning can result. Opponents further report that bilingual education program effectiveness in our schools is greatly misunderstood, and the increase of anti-immigrant sentiment and resentment toward special treatment for minority groups in our country has impacted the support of the English Only movement. This article takes a look at the historical background of bilingual education and the impact of the English Only movement. In the article, the author reviews briefly both sides of the debate